Earlier this year in Iraq, the remains of a 3,400-year-old city appeared in a reservoir following months of severe drought. German and Kurdish archaeologists concluded that it was an ancient settlement from the time of the Mittani Empire. Once located on the banks of the Tigris, it is believed to have been the city of Zakhiku, an important centre of the Mittani Empire, which existed from approximately 1550 to 1350 BC.

Researchers were pleasantly surprised to discover well-preserved walls made of sun-dried mud bricks. Some of these had been underwater for 40 years, ever since the Mosul Dam was built and the reservoir was created. Researchers attribute the good state of preservation of the ancient walls to an earthquake that destroyed the city in 1350 BC, when the upper parts of the walls collapsed, completely burying the buildings.
Photo by the Universities of Freiburg and Tübingen, KAO used from the original article