Cultural heritage sites have been caught in the crossfire of ongoing war in the Middle East. Efforts by local and international bodies to protect vulnerable sites in accordance with international law have failed to protect some significant treasures from damage, including the Chelhel Sotoun Palace in Isfahan and the Golestan Palace in Tehran.

“Cities and civilians are targets of vast destruction and historical monuments appear to be indiscriminately destroyed or damaged,” said Sussan Babaie, professor in the arts of Iran and Islam at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. She noted 26 UNESCO-designated heritage sites in Iran, which are “testimony to the deep history of civilization on the Iranian plateau.”

Explosions across Iran, Israel, and several Middle Eastern nations have continued for weeks since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28, killing the country’s supreme leader. Tehran previously warned it would target U.S. military sites if attacked and has now launched strikes in nine countries, although most have been intercepted. As of publishing time, reports indicate 1,444 dead in Iran, at least 18 in Israel, 13 U.S. soldiers, and 21 in Gulf states.

After the historical Iranian city of Isfahan was targeted by several major strikes, its governor Mehdi Jamalinejad claimed that serious damage had been inflicted even after blue shields were put on the roofs of culturally important buildings. This is an internationally recognized signal under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. UNESCO, too, has stated its concern about the damage sustained by Golestan Palace in Tehran, claiming that it had communicated the coordinates of World Heritage sites “to all parties concerned.”

Other international heritage organizations to speak out have included the International Council of Museums the International Council on Monuments and Sites, and the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield.

“The protection of the cultural heritage of an ancient society such as Iran belongs to all of humanity,” said Babaie. “This is as crucial to our collective identity as the protection of the Acropolis or the Great Wall of China or the Pyramids in Egypt and Mexico.”

Here is an up-to-date list of the sites that have so far been damaged in the conflict.

Sa’dabad Complex

The Sa’dabad Complex in Tehran, a sprawling 80 hectares that includes museums, palaces, and natural forest, was struck on March 17. The explosions caused significant damage to historic buildings, in particular the 19th-century Sa’dabad Palace, once home to Iran’s monarchy and now a museum since 1979. Valuable artifacts and other exhibits had already been stored away in secure facilities.

A video posted online shows an ornate interior strewn with debris, much of which comes from a collapsed ceiling. Elsewhere, a chandelier lies smashed on the floor.

Sanandaj

Attacks on Sanandaj in Kurdistan have reportedly affected the 19th-century mansions known as Salar Saeed and Asef Vaziri, according to the Guardian. These buildings are used to house Kurdish treasures, and they suffered damage to their doors and stained-glass windows.

Asef Vaziri, for example, dates back to the Safavid era of 1501 to 1736. It is protected by local authorities for its stucco, carved stone, stained glass, and mirror decoration, as well as its magnificent entrance in the Iranian Baroque style. It currently houses an anthropology museum.

Isfahan

Chehel Sotoun Palace in Isfahan, damaged during U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, March 11, 2026. Photo: Morteza Nikoubazl / NurPhoto via Getty Images.

The historic city of Isfahan is famed for its resplendent, 17th-century architecture. Its governor Mehdi Jamalinejad described it as “a museum without a roof,” highlighting its cultural value as well as its vulnerability in a statement on social media. Isfahan was first targeted by airstrikes on March 9. Large plumes of smoke were seen rising from the majestic, 964,000-square-foot Naqsh-e Jahan Square, a UNESCO World Heritage site, following a strike aimed at the governor’s building.

Among the damaged sites were mosques, including the UNESCO-listed Masjed-e Jameh, which sustained damage to its turquoise tiles, a decoration that is typical of Safavid-era architecture. Another UNESCO-listed building since 1979, the Ali Qapu Palace, has had tile work damaged and windows broken.

The worst damage was to the Chehel Sotoun Palace, as the result of shockwaves from the strikes. Videos from the scene show broken floral tiles, painted murals covered in gaping cracks, and pieces of mirror from intricate decorative schemes lying shattered on the floor. The latter damage is most severe in the pillared hall, where the Safavid dynasty held ceremonial gatherings.

Babaie described the bombing of Isfahan as the “most inexplicable” attack on Iran’s heritage so far.

Falak ol-Aflak Castle in Lorestan

Falak ol-Aflak in 2017. Photo: Thomas Schulze / picture alliance via Getty Images.

The site of an ancient hilltop castle known was Falak ol-Aflak was damaged on March 8, in an attack that reportedly targeted local offices belonging to the Lorestan province’s department for culture. The nearby Khorramabad Valley is of great archaeological importance thanks to its five prehistoric caves and a rock shelter that provide evidence of human occupation dating back to 63,000 B.C.E.

Though the 1,800-year-old castle’s perimeter was hit, the department’s head, Ata Hassanpour, confirmed that its main structure was not affected. However, other buildings damaged by the attack include two museums dedicated to archaeology and anthropology. Five members of staff were also reportedly injured by the blast.

Golestan Palace in Tehran

Golestan Palace, damaged in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes in Tehran, Iran, March 3, 2026. Photo: Xinhua via Getty Images.

The Golestan Palace in Iran’s capital, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, was badly damaged by shockwaves from a strike to nearby Arag Square on March 2. The target was within the palace’s buffer zone, as defined by UNESCO.

The palace primarily dates from the 19th century, when it was the seat of the Qajar dynasty, but its origins reach back to the 16th century. Footage shows its windows blown out and its floors covered in debris, with the worst damage inflicted on the renowned hall of mirrors, which had its intricate decorative mosaics shattered by the blast. Artifacts from the palace, including its chandeliers, had already been evacuated to a safe storage before the strikes.

Other buildings that have been damaged in Tehran include the Grand Bazaar and the former Senate building.