Airstrikes struck Iran’s Naqsh-e Jahan and historic palaces, damaging UNESCO protected sites
Explosive blasts shook Isfahan’s most famous square, leaving cracks and debris across centuries-old monuments. Investigations reveal damage to multiple UNESCO-listed and national heritage sites.
Authors of the investigation: MAGGIE MICHAEL, M.B. PELL, MARI SAITO, and RYAN MCNEILL.
Visual design: ALAA AL-MARJANI and HAIDER KADHIM NOUR.
The first shockwaves marked Isfahan’s most popular ancient square: the domes and minarets around Naqsh-e Jahan trembled. A second strike in the city center two days later laid debris on the floors of the 400-year-old royal complex.
Israeli airstrikes that occurred on March 7 and 9 shook the monuments at Naqsh-e Jahan Square and at the Chehel Sotoun palace, two of Iran’s most revered cultural landmarks.
Two weeks later plaster and broken tiles still echoed underfoot in some places.
These buildings were part of us. This place is very dear to my heart.
From the roof, the target of the March 9 strike was visible: the Isfahan governor’s building, partly destroyed, but reportedly empty at the moment of the strike.
In March, during a lull in the US-Israel war against Iran, Reuters had rare access to the palace and Naqsh-e Jahan Square and surroundings, as well as to two palaces in Tehran. There, reporters saw how the war had damaged Iran’s historic sites, including those protected under international agreements under UNESCO. In total, the reporting team documented damage to 11 historic buildings.
Experts monitoring the war’s impact on world heritage confirmed damage to the Trans-Iranian Railway and the Jameh Mosque in Isfahan, as well as to an 1,800-year-old fortress near caves dating back more than 63,000 years.
Over two decades of conflict in the region, the United States and its allies have not recorded similar damage among UNESCO-listed world heritage sites during previous conflicts in the region.
UNESCO is not currently sending expert teams to the protected sites on its list; assessments of the damage are carried out remotely using satellite imagery. According to UNESCO, damage to seven sites in Iran has been confirmed, several of which are on the international list, as well as several of national and religious significance.
UNESCO noted that the agency was not involved in planning or conducting the fighting, but provided coordinates of critically important sites to all sides of the conflict.
UNESCO urges all parties to the conflict to adhere to international law, particularly the protection of cultural heritage, and to take all necessary measures to prevent damage to cultural heritage.
The damage observed ranges from shattered glass to cracks in walls and surface foundations.
The damage has intensified the discussion about protecting heritage during war: many sites were marked with blue shields – the international symbol of protection for cultural heritage – on the facades of historic buildings in Tehran and Isfahan.
“It’s incredibly hard to believe. Even in the boldest dreams I never thought this could happen. These are not military targets.”
The Pentagon declined to comment on the damage. In response, the White House said that the “Epic Fury” operation targeted specific military objectives and that U.S. actions were conducted in accordance with international law, asserting that civilians were not the target.
“Operation Epic Fury was designed to hit key targets: to destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles, to cripple production capacity, to destroy the fleet, to weaken proxies, and to ensure the inability to possess nuclear weapons.”
A university team of archaeology and heritage preservation experts, including from the United States, noted that assessments indicate a shift in American priorities in the region toward protecting cultural heritage. Such references are linked to earlier critical cases involving the deployment of bases and the destruction of monuments during past conflicts.
Among the damaged sites cited are the Golestan Palace in Tehran and the Bazaar; four sites at Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan; and the Chehel Sotoun complex. Mehrnoush Soroush, director of the Center for Ancient Landscapes of the Middle East at the University of Chicago, said her team also confirmed damage to Jameh Mosque in Isfahan and Andimeshk railway station on the Trans-Iranian Railway – a UNESCO-listed site connecting the Caspian Sea in the north with the Persian Gulf in the south.
Both experts also confirmed significant damage to Falak-ol-Aflak Fortress in the Khorramabad Valley in the country’s west. Reuters confirmed photographs of shattered fortress windows.
In response, Israeli forces warned Iranian citizens to avoid transportation routes, particularly rail lines, to limit the movement of weapons. It was also reported that the bridge near Qom, a busy crossing, was struck to prevent weapon movement.
A UNESCO spokesperson in Iran provided a list of 134 cultural sites that were damaged during the war, and shared it with Reuters. While not all of them are on UNESCO’s list, these sites are among the most popular for tourism and attracted millions of visitors each year.
According to estimates, among the affected sites, the railway lines were the most damaged. Many Iranian sites were covered with blue shields – the symbol of their protection; this includes Isfahan’s Bazaar, the fortress in Khorramabad, and the Saad Abad complex in Tehran.
Visible cases of broken glass and cracks in walls attest to the seriousness of the consequences for heritage that was not completely destroyed but requires urgent restoration and protection efforts.
Independent experts emphasize that World Heritage sites require a more coordinated international response to preserve humanity’s cultural memory, especially during times of conflict.
Both the Israeli and American sides warn of carrying out strikes in accordance with international law, but the international community continues to monitor the consequences, notably through UNESCO and academic centers tracking damage and exploring paths to recovery.
In the context of Isfahan, the city remains a crucial hub of cultural heritage: Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Chehel Sotoun, and the Ali Qapu Palace – symbols of the mastery of Persian architecture during the Safavid era, which served as centers of daily life and international tourism. After these events, heritage preservation has become an extremely sensitive issue for the public and the international community, which calls for careful and responsible handling of cultural values during conflicts.
In conclusion, the authors emphasize: preserving cultural heritage is a shared responsibility of the international community. Despite the war, it is important to work on restoring and protecting monuments that reflect the region’s rich history and attract millions of visitors each year.
Lessons from past conflicts, especially cases involving destruction or damage of architectural masterpieces, aim to prepare the world for a more responsible attitude toward heritage during present and future crises.
- Israeli airstrikes in March struck Isfahan’s Naqsh-e Jahan Square and Chehel Sotoun, causing structural damage and prompting calls for UNESCO inspections and urgent conservation.
- Israeli airstrikes on June 10 struck southern Lebanon, killing at least 13 people and setting vehicles ablaze in Sidon, as regional tensions rise after recent cross-border attacks.
- Blast waves in Isfahan damaged Naqsh-e Jahan square and the 400-year-old Chehel Sotun palace, causing structural and decorative losses to UNESCO-listed sites and prompting urgent calls for conservation.
