Think Tank: The Devastation of Persian Cultural Heritage by the Iran War
The Golestan Palace in Tehran has stood for over four centuries, witnessing the grandeur and artistic brilliance of Persia, enduring dynastic changes, revolutions, and decades of turmoil. Now, it has been damaged by shockwaves from nearby airstrikes, becoming one of the earliest victims of the expanding Iran war.
As the conflict enters its second month, President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have vowed to "reduce Iran to the Stone Age" unless it surrenders. This escalating conflict has already inflicted damage on Iran’s cultural landmarks—from the Golestan Palace and the Farahabad Castle to the Chehel Sotoun Palace—leaving no stone unturned, including other 16th-century architectural treasures in Isfahan. The extent of destruction is comparable to the indiscriminate bombing of homes and schools.
This large-scale devastation has drawn condemnation from UNESCO and numerous experts, who urge all parties to abide by international conventions protecting cultural property. Under international law—including the 1954 Hague Convention—such sites are explicitly protected during armed conflicts.
Isfahan Province Governor Mehdi Jamarinejad stated: "This is a declaration of war against a civilization. A foe without culture does not care about cultural symbols. A nation without history will not respect historical traces."
From ancient empires to modern armies, aggressors have long engaged in "cultural genocide"—deliberately destroying cultural landmarks. By erasing monuments, religious sites, palaces, and libraries, invaders seek to sever people’s connection with their past, making it easier to impose new orders and rewrite narratives about who belongs here and who rules here. Thus, the destruction of cultural heritage is an intrinsic part of conquest logic.
Aggressors have long understood that culture serves as a pillar of collective identity and an anchor for historical memory. Monuments, languages, and shared symbols can inspire morale, and when they survive, they become rallying points for resistance. Erasing previous civilizations allows occupiers to reframe their rule as inevitable, rewriting legitimacy narratives. Destroying cultural heritage also sends a powerful message of humiliation and psychological control, signaling that not only the present but also the past and future belong to the conqueror. Even when such acts are cloaked in religious or ideological justifications, they serve broader political goals of consolidating dominance.
Today, across Iran, reports of iconic sites being destroyed—and shocking looting incidents—make it increasingly difficult to rationalize such destruction as a military necessity. Repeated attacks on cultural sites raise serious questions about intent. These buildings are treasure troves of Persian civilization, bearing centuries of historical continuity. Even permitting such destruction amounts to undermining the very foundations of national identity and eroding the cultural memory that binds communities together.
At this stage, it remains unclear whether such destruction is deliberate or merely an unintended consequence of military operations, and such distinctions are rarely discernible in real time. However, what is evident is the need for close monitoring and, ultimately, independent investigation.
If the erasure of cultural symbols goes unchecked—or if it cannot be convincingly demonstrated that U.S. forces made every possible effort to protect these symbols—it will only deepen suspicions that this war is veering toward a trajectory of "civilizational replacement," establishing a new, artificially constructed order at the expense of Iran’s rich and enduring civilization, which risks being weakened or forgotten.
Source: The National Interest
Authors: Tanya Goudsouzian and Ibrahim al-Marashi
Date: April 3, Washington Time
Original Article: toutiao.com/article/1861550560922628/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors alone.