On February 28th, 2026, the news of the loss of human lives, the operational pattern of military strikes, damage to infrastructure, communication disruptions, and international responses following US-Israeli military attacks on Iran confirmed to the world that there was a new focus of war in Southwest Asian territory. This military conflict has also had a human and infrastructural impact on Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Jordan, with active combat zones in their territories, and the Gulf States, where damage particularly affected US military bases and energy infrastructure. This adds a new site of armed conflict in the area, following over two years of systematic destruction of life, habitat, and essential facilities in the Gaza Strip, reaching a near total of 81% destroyed structures by the end of 2025. These territories are currently involved in the deliberate destruction of their normality, including essential, everyday, and cultural infrastructure of global value. Although information is currently scattered and partial, it is possible to assess some of the damage to cultural heritage caused by this new outbreak of armed conflict.
Built cultural heritage can be less important in its material dimension than in its historical and social value. A building, structure, or site is recognized as heritage when it exceeds its intrinsic value and acquires universal recognition based on its historical significance and its aesthetic, scientific, or social importance, warranting preservation for future generations. On both a local and international scale, cultural heritage offers a beacon for perspective, identity, memory, and shared values. On this note, on Monday, March 2nd, UNESCO expressed concern over the protection of cultural heritage sites amidst escalating violence in the Middle East. In a short declaration, the organisation recalled that cultural property is protected under international law, notably the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
The statement followed the confirmation of damage from a strike to the Golestan Palace in Tehran on Sunday, March 1st. The hazards include blown-out windows, shattered mirrors, damaged stained glass, and lifted pavement, to an extent detrimental to the integrity of the whole. The building, a former official royal Qajar complex commonly called the “Versailles of Persia,” dates to the Safavid era in the 16th century and was expanded under the Qajar dynasty in the late 18th century, integrating earlier Persian crafts and architecture with Western influences. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013 for representing an exceptional example of an East-West synthesis in monumental arts, architectural layout, and building technology; containing the most complete representation of Qajari artistic and architectural production; and being a prime example of the arts and architecture of a significant period in Persian modernization processes throughout the 19th century.
On Wednesday, March 4th, in response to the intensification of the conflict, Lebanon’s Ministry of Culture called on UNESCO to provide additional protection for the country’s cultural heritage. The ministry specifically referenced the National Museum of Beirut and listed Lebanese archaeological and historical sites, including the eighth-century city of Anjar, the Phoenician city of Baalbek, and Ouadi Qadisha (the Holy Valley), recognised as one of the most important early Christian monastic settlements in the world. As can be expected, and despite no material damage, cultural institutions are closing temporarily. According to Ocula, in Beirut, the Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation, the Sursock Museum, Dar El-Nimer for Arts & Culture, and Beirut Art Center have closed. In Uzbekistan, the Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent (CCA), a flagship project led by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, also announced the decision to postpone its upcoming opening “out of care for the safety and well-being of all participants, artists, and guests.”
지난 10일 간 추가 피해가 문화유산에 대해 확인되었다. 이스라엘의 공습이 3월 6일 금요일에 유네스코 세계문화유산으로 등재된 티르(Tyre) 유적지의 바로 인근 지역을 타격했다. 타이어는 페니키아의 거대 도시였으며 대부분이 섬 위에 지어졌다고 알려진 세계에서 가장 오래된 대도시 중 하나로 여겨지며, 전통에 따르면 기원전 2750년에 세워진 것으로 전해진다. 레바논의 남해안에 위치해 베이루트에서 남쪽으로 약 83km 떨어져 있다. 인류 역사의 중요한 단계들을 반영하는 이 도시는 로마 시대의 거대한 유적과 중세 십자군 시대의 건축물들처럼 과거 섬 위의 유적지와 육지에 남아 있는 대형 무덤길, 수도교, 그리고 경마장 같은 인상적인 요소들을 포함하고 있다. 이번 타격은 알-바스(Al-Bass) 고고학 유적지의 입구를 직접적으로 손상시켜 고대 로마 시대의 복합체 둘레를 해했다. 지역 사회단체와 지방 당국은 UNESCO와 국제사회의 조치를 촉구하며, 인간의 역사를 공유해 온 우리 모두의 유산으로서의 가치를 지키기 위한 증거로서 이것을 보전해 달라고 요청하고 있다.
This outbreak of military conflict joins the fifth year of the Russia-Ukraine war, the civil wars in Sudan and Myanmar, persistent conflict in Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, violent armed conflict in Haiti, and the forced overthrow of the former Venezuelan president. In Ukraine, a Cultural Heritage Fund continues to take shape since its announcement at the fourth Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome in July 2025. According to the country’s Culture Ministry, the initiative is conceived as a multidonor platform to mobilise international resources for the protection, restoration, and development of Ukrainian cultural heritage damaged by war. According to The Art Newspaper, as of November 2025, 1,630 cultural heritage sites and 2,437 cultural infrastructure facilities across Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed in the war. Thirteen initial restoration projects have been selected, including the St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church in Kyiv, damaged by a Russian missile strike in 2023. This project joins other programs by UNESCO, Aliph Foundation, the World Monuments Fund, ICCROM, a Rome-based intergovernmental organisation, and Obmin, registered in 2022 in Warsaw, alongside community efforts in each of these countries to preserve the collective memory from the destruction caused by the abuse of human power.
Editor’s Note: This article was created on March 9, 2026, based on consistent news reports from multiple international media outlets. Given the volatile nature of the ongoing conflict, on-site verification remains limited, and some details may be subject to revision as new information emerges.
