0
The damaged interior of the Safavid-era Ashraf Hall in Isfahan, Iran, following Israeli airstrikes on March 23 / Reuters, Yonhap News

Wartime strikes by the United States and Israel have inflicted severe damage on Iran’s world-renowned cultural heritage and historic landmarks. Observers raise concerns that strikes directly impacting UNESCO World Heritage sites represent an unprecedented crisis.

According to a report by Reuters on the 29th (local time), Israeli airstrikes targeting major Iranian cities—including the capital Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz—on March 9 left critical heritage sites like Naqsh-e Jahan Square and Chehel Sotoun Palace heavily damaged.

At Isfahan's Naqsh-e Jahan Square, shockwaves from the bombardment caused the collapse of ancient domes surrounding the plaza and high minarets flanking neighboring mosques. Meanwhile, Chehel Sotoun Palace sustained extensive structural damage to its exterior along with defaced interiors.

In Tehran, the Golestan Palace—a masterpiece of Persian architecture dating back to the 19th-century Qajar dynasty—saw its historic stained glass windows shattered and intricate wooden ornamental fixtures pulverized.

Both Naqsh-e Jahan Square and Golestan Palace are registered UNESCO World Heritage sites. Reuters noted that direct, wartime damage to monuments explicitly under international protection is highly unusual.

Other casualties of the air campaigns include the Jameh Mosque of Isfahan, a masterpiece of Islamic architecture spanning over a millennium; the Trans-Iranian Railway, an early 20th-century industrial heritage site; prehistoric caves; and a 1,800-year-old ancient fortress.

UNESCO has officially confirmed damage to seven locations so far and is currently utilizing satellite imagery to assess the full extent of the destruction.

A group of eight archaeologists and cultural heritage experts evaluated the situation as unprecedented, distinguishing it from past conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Afghanistan, where internationally protected monuments rarely sustained such direct, heavy hits.

While cultural property has suffered during past wars, it was largely chalked up to collateral damage. In this conflict, however, internationally protected sites appear to have been factored into military target lists, signaling a shift in airstrike prioritization compared to previous wars.

Experts pointed out that world heritage sites must be shielded from hostilities under UNESCO conventions, stressing that the destruction constitutes a direct violation of international law and UNESCO treaties.

                                                                                                           Park Jin-sook