Hundreds of Iranian Historic Sites Including Golestan Palace Damaged
Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Heritage has disclosed alarming data regarding the impact of military attacks by the United States and Israel that commenced on 28 February 2026.
As of Tuesday, 17 March 2026, a total of 108 historic and cultural sites across various regions of Iran have sustained damage due to waves of explosions and direct attacks. According to reports from the Tasnim news agency, the damage to these sites is concentrated in Iran’s major cultural centres. A total of 60 sites are located in Tehran, 19 sites in Isfahan, and 12 other sites in Kurdistan province.
The conflict erupted following joint military operations launched by the United States and Israel targeting numerous strategic locations in Iran. These strikes not only destroyed military infrastructure but also resulted in civilian casualties and the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran has conducted retaliatory strikes against Israeli territory and United States military bases across the Middle East, further expanding the conflict zone and threatening additional historic sites in the region.
Afarin Emami, Director of the Golestan Palace World Heritage Complex, stated that the majority of the museum’s collections and valuable artefacts had been evacuated to secure storage locations several weeks before the escalation reached its peak. However, he emphasised that the historic building structure itself constitutes an artefact that cannot be relocated.
UNESCO has repeatedly reminded all warring parties to respect the Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in Armed Conflict. Nevertheless, the deployment of heavy weaponry in densely populated historic areas makes collateral damage difficult to avoid.
Regarding the extent of damage to Golestan Palace, reports indicate that decorative elements such as glass, windows, and tiles have been damaged due to blast waves from surrounding explosions. However, the main structural elements remain intact.
At least four UNESCO World Heritage sites have been confirmed as sustaining damage as of mid-March 2026. The majority of portable artefacts within Iranian museums have been relocated to secure storage bunkers prior to large-scale aerial bombardment.