Iranian experts are assessing and stabilising heritage sites damaged during the war with the United States and Israel. Officials say restoration could take years, with funding and renewed conflict remaining major concerns.
TEHRAN: Iranian conservation experts are working to secure damaged historic sites and assess losses caused during the war with the United States and Israel, as concerns persist that fighting could resume and complicate restoration efforts.
At Tehran’s Golestan Palace, one of the country’s best-known cultural landmarks, parts of the complex show shattered mirrors, broken doors and debris from decorated ceilings after shockwaves from strikes on the capital following the outbreak of war on February 28. The former royal residence, known for its gardens, pools and ceremonial halls, has been on the Unesco World Heritage list since 2013.
A fragile truce that has been in place since April 8 has allowed specialists to begin examining the extent of the damage, although the palace remains shut to visitors.
Ali Omid Ali, a restoration specialist and head of the technical engineering department at Golestan Palace, told AFP that the damage had been reviewed at several levels and that a more detailed technical assessment was still in progress. “The damage has been assessed at several levels, but a more detailed specialised evaluation is still underway,” he said adding that current efforts are centred on making damaged sections safe and preventing further collapse before wider restoration can start.
“We need a more stable situation to start the restoration process,” he emphasised.
According to Ali, preliminary estimates put the cost of work at the palace at around $1.7 million, though that amount could increase after a full review. He added that repairs could take “two or more years”.
Golestan Palace, noted for combining 19th-century Persian art and architecture with European styles and motifs, is one of at least five Unesco-listed sites damaged during the conflict.
Jabbar Avaj, director of the Golestan Palace museums, told the official IRNA news agency that damage to the site was extensive. “50 to 60 per cent of its doors and windows are broken,” he said.
He said the palace’s Mirror Hall, known for reflective mosaics across its walls and ceilings, and the Marble Throne, a ceremonial platform supported by statues symbolising mythical and royal themes, were “seriously damaged”.
Other heritage sites also affected
Other Unesco-listed locations damaged in the war include Chehel Sotoun Palace and the Masjed-e Jame in Isfahan, along with the prehistoric sites of the Khorramabad Valley.
Hassan Fartousi, head of Iran’s National Commission for Unesco, said the conflict also affected at least 140 culturally and historically important places across the country beyond the listed sites. He named Tehran’s Marble Palace, the Teymourtash house and the Saadabad Palace complex in northern Tehran among them.
Saadabad, a former royal residence set in a large park, contains several museums. “The shadow of war still lingers over Iran’s sky, and in this situation, we cannot plan very well for restoration.”
While the ceasefire since April 8 has mostly stopped fighting in major urban centres where many cultural sites are located, sporadic clashes have continued in coastal areas and Gulf waters, and negotiations have not yet produced a durable settlement.
Fartousi said he was also concerned that even after repairs, damaged monuments might not regain their original character, saying cultural heritage is rooted in “the concept of originality”.
“Even if we do the restoration with our great artists and specialists in restoration, where will the originality be?” he asked.
Funding is another major concern. According to the report, the Iranian government has not yet announced a restoration budget as it deals with the effects of the war and a US blockade that has sharply disrupted exports. “Unfortunately, Unesco and other international organisations have limited budget.”
Fartousi said, adding that talks were under way to obtain support. When asked about the total cost of restoring the damaged sites, “All of them are priceless.” he said.
