Iran says museums and historic sites damaged in war

Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Ministry said Saturday (March 14, 2026) at least 56 museums and historic sites across the country have been damaged, as the Iran-Israel war entered its 15th day.

In Tehran, U.S.-Israeli strikes damaged the UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in the early days of the conflict, local media reported.

The palace complex is one of the oldest sites in the Iranian capital and once served as the residence of the Qajar dynasty.

The Ministry said Tehran has recorded the highest number of damaged monuments, with 19 suffering varying levels of harm.

The vast Naghsh-e Jahan Square, a 17th-century architectural jewel in the heart of the central Iranian city of Isfahan, has also been damaged.

Debris at the historical monument Golestan Palace after it was damaged in an Israeli and U.S. strike, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 3, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
West Asia News Agency via Reuters

In the port of Siraf, in Bushehr province, several houses were hit in the historic quarter, home to many century-old buildings.

UNESCO, the UN’s culture agency, told AFP on Friday (March 13, 2026) it was concerned about hundreds of historic sites in Iran, Israel and Lebanon that have been damaged or threatened by the war.