• The remains of the submerged Gary Qasruka village abandoned 36 years ago, which have resurfaced after falling water levels at the Dohuk Dam due to drought, in the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq. AFP
    The remains of the submerged Gary Qasruka village abandoned 36 years ago, which have resurfaced after falling water levels at the Dohuk Dam due to drought, in the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq. AFP
  • The tall bleached 'bathtub ring' is visible on the rocky banks of Lake Powell at Reflection Canyon in Utah, as severe drought grips parts of the western US. Getty Images
    The tall bleached 'bathtub ring' is visible on the rocky banks of Lake Powell at Reflection Canyon in Utah, as severe drought grips parts of the western US. Getty Images
  • The dolmen of Guadalperal, also known as the Spanish Stonehenge, is seen due to the receding water of the Valdecanas reservoir near El Gordo, Spain. Reuters
    The dolmen of Guadalperal, also known as the Spanish Stonehenge, is seen due to the receding water of the Valdecanas reservoir near El Gordo, Spain. Reuters
  • A shopping cart rusts on a sandbank in the Rhine, exposed by the low tide in Bonn, Germany. Reuters
    A shopping cart rusts on a sandbank in the Rhine, exposed by the low tide in Bonn, Germany. Reuters
  • A formerly sunken boat sits upright along the shoreline at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Boulder City, Nevada. EPA
    A formerly sunken boat sits upright along the shoreline at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Boulder City, Nevada. EPA
  • The Kloental lake's low water level in Glarus, Switzerland. EPA
    The Kloental lake's low water level in Glarus, Switzerland. EPA
  • Houses of the former village of Aceredo, in Galicia, Spain. The village was buried under water due to the construction of a reservoir in 1992, yet in 2021 the village resurfaced due to a drought. EPA
    Houses of the former village of Aceredo, in Galicia, Spain. The village was buried under water due to the construction of a reservoir in 1992, yet in 2021 the village resurfaced due to a drought. EPA
  • The wreck of a ship that sank during the Second World War is revealed by the unusually low water level of the River Danube near Vamosszabadi, in north-western Hungary. EPA
    The wreck of a ship that sank during the Second World War is revealed by the unusually low water level of the River Danube near Vamosszabadi, in north-western Hungary. EPA
  • A view of the Roman camp Aquis Querquennis, located on the banks of the Limia river in the As Conchas reservoir, in Ourense, Spain. The camp is usually underwater but can now be seen due to the low level of the reservoir. EPA
    A view of the Roman camp Aquis Querquennis, located on the banks of the Limia river in the As Conchas reservoir, in Ourense, Spain. The camp is usually underwater but can now be seen due to the low level of the reservoir. EPA
  • Visitors on the salt flats watching the sunset over the Great Salt Lake, Utah. The lake has lost 50 per cent of its volume since the arrival of Mormon pioneers in 1847. EPA
    Visitors on the salt flats watching the sunset over the Great Salt Lake, Utah. The lake has lost 50 per cent of its volume since the arrival of Mormon pioneers in 1847. EPA
  • A buoy sits high and dry on cracked earth previously under the waters of Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area near Boulder City, Nevada. AP Photo
    A buoy sits high and dry on cracked earth previously under the waters of Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area near Boulder City, Nevada. AP Photo
  • Robert Smithson's earthwork 'Spiral Jetty' on the shore of Great Salt Lake, Utah. Constructed in 1970, the work remained submerged until 2002, when a mega-drought began to afflict the region. EPA
    Robert Smithson's earthwork 'Spiral Jetty' on the shore of Great Salt Lake, Utah. Constructed in 1970, the work remained submerged until 2002, when a mega-drought began to afflict the region. EPA
  • A tire sits on dried land that was once under water at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Boulder City, Nevada. EPA
    A tire sits on dried land that was once under water at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Boulder City, Nevada. EPA
  • The Virgen de los Dolores (Our lady of Sorrows) Temple in Guanajuato state, Mexico. The temple, built in 1898, was flooded 40 years ago to build a dam. Heavy drought in the region has exposed its structure again. EPA
    The Virgen de los Dolores (Our lady of Sorrows) Temple in Guanajuato state, Mexico. The temple, built in 1898, was flooded 40 years ago to build a dam. Heavy drought in the region has exposed its structure again. EPA

World

Striking images of what has been revealed by droughts across the globe – in pictures

From the 'Spanish Stonehenge' to a temple in Mexico

The National

August 19, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

A major heatwave across Europe has caused rivers and lakes to dry up, revealing objects not seen in decades.

In Spain, ancient settlements from Dolmen of Guadalperal - dubbed the Spanish Stonehenge - to a Roman camp on the River Limia have emerged.

Elsewhere, the dried-out River Po in Italy has uncovered ordnance from the Second World War and on the Danube in Hungary a shipwreck from the same period.

In the Americas, severe drought over several years has seen some stretches of water reach record lows. At Lake Mead, the reservoir created by the Hoover Dam, sunken boats, tyres and at least five bodies have been discovered.

More from The National:

Fifth body uncovered as historic Lake Mead drought lowers water levels

Drought tightens its grip on Morocco

Iraqi Kurd farmers battle drought as Lake Dukan retreats – in pictures

Climate change will increase exposure of 129 countries to droughts, says report

Droughts in the Middle East are here to stay. So how do we manage them?

Updated: August 19, 2022, 12:07 PM
PhotographyClimate change