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Iran's cultural heritage sites are being damaged by American and Israeli strikes

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− Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions The Best Music of 2025 About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Iran's cultural heritage sites are being damaged by American and Israeli strikes The cost of the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran are mounting in terms of civilian deaths and damage to Iran's most famous cultural heritage sites.
+ These stories provide context for current developments and the history that led up to them. Emily Feng Young women walk through historic Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan, Iran, on March 11.
− World Iran's cultural heritage sites are being damaged by American and Israeli strikes March 20, 20264:24 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered Emily Feng Iran's cultural heritage sites are being damaged by American and Israeli strikes Listen &middot; 4:31 4:31 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5748554/nx-s1-9697294" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript The cost of the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran are mounting in terms of civilian deaths and damage to Iran's most famous cultural heritage sites.
+ Morteza Nikoubazi/Getty Images hide caption ISTANBUL — There's an old Persian phrase about a particular place in the city of Isfahan — the famed Naqsh-e Jahan Square. "The sort of nickname for it is nesf-e-jahān, which means 'half the world.' So what they meant by that, that if you saw Naqsh-e Jahan, you had seen half the world already," explains Katayoun Shahandeh, a lecturer at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.
− Sponsor Message AILSA CHANG, HOST: U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran are damaging historical and religious sites. Now, these strikes have killed more than 2,000 people in Iran, over half of them civilians. That's according to the US-based advocacy group Human Rights Activist News Agency. And now, as NPR's Emily Feng reports, Iran's cultural heritage is also caught up in the conflict.
+ "That was how fabulous Naqsh-e Jahan was supposed to be." Shahandeh, who is Iranian, has studied Isfahan's treasures for years: its stunning blue and turquoise tiling and arched Islamic architecture, much of it crafted by Persian and Armenian artists in the 16th and 17th centuries, during the height of the Safavid dynasty, a golden age for art during the Persian empire.
− EMILY FENG, BYLINE: There's an old saying in Persian about a particular square in a city of Isfahan. KATAYOUN SHAHANDEH: The sort of nickname for it is nesf-e-jahan (ph), which means half the world.
+ "Iran, [then] the Persian Empire and the Ottomans were the two [powers] in the region who were sort of vying with each other.
− So what they meant by that, that if you saw nesf-e-jahan, you had seen half the world already.
+ In terms of architecture, [Naqsh-e Jahan] is probably one of the most important sites in the Islamic era," says Shahandeh.
− FENG: This is Dr.
+ This and other Iranian sites which Shahandeh has studied have been damaged since the U.S.
− Katayoun Shahandeh. She's a lecturer at the School of Oriental and African Studies, or SOAS, in London.
+ and Israel began jointly striking Iran last month.
− SHAHANDEH: So that was how fabulous nesf-e-jahan was supposed to be, is that having seen nesf-e-jahan, you've seen half the world.
+ UNESCO, the United Nations body that protects scientific and cultural sites, says it has documented at least four historic sites damaged by shockwaves from a March 10 strike.
− FENG: She's Iranian herself, and she's studied Isfahan's treasures for decades - its stunning blue and turquoise tiling, arched Islamic architecture - much of it crafted by Persian and Armenian artists during the Safavid dynasty, a golden era of Persian Empire. SHAHANDEH: Iran, the Persian Empire and the Ottomans - and they were the two in the region who were vying with each other.
+ A view of the Ali Qapu Imperial Palace in Isfahan, south of Tehran, on March 11.
− I mean, in terms of architecturally, it is probably one of the most important sites in the Islamic era. FENG: UNESCO, the U.N.
+ Morteza Nikoubazi/NurPhoto via Getty Images hide caption Three are in Isfahan, and two of those are in the Naqsh-e Jahan Square: the Safavid-era Abbasi Jame mosque and Ali Qapu Palace.
− body that protects scientific and cultural sites, has documented at least four historic sites damaged by U.S.
+ Also damaged is the Chehel Sotoun pavilion, a colonnaded building and gardens featuring intricate frescoes and mosaics.
− and Israeli bombing near the sites in Iran. Three of them are in Isfahan - the Safavid-era Jama Mosque, in the Naqsh e-Jahan, Ali Qapu Palace, and Chehel Sotoun Palace.
+ All three are UNESCO-designated cultural sites.
− (SOUNDBITE OF GLASS CRACKING) FENG: This video, shared by Iran's cultural ministry, shows damage to Chehel Sotoun from a strike on government offices nearby on March 10.
+ An interior view of Isfahan's Chehel Sotoun Palace on March 11.
− Glass and masonry crackle underfoot, having fallen from the walls and the intricate mosaics above.
+ The palace was damaged in an explosion wave during U.S.
− Israel's military told NPR it was targeting offices of Iran's IRGC, the regime's multi-branch security forces nearby.
+ and Israeli strikes in Iran.
− The U.S.
+ Morteza Nikoubazl//NurPhoto via Getty Images hide caption Video shared from people in Iran showed damage to Chehel Sotoun from a strike on nearby government offices on March 10.
− did not return an NPR request for comment. Also damaged by a nearby strike is Tehran's Gholstan palace.
+ In the videos, glass and masonry crackle underfoot, having fallen from the walls and intricate mosaics above.
− (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) LAZARE ELOUNDOU ASSOMO: We have, for example, the Goleston Palace.
+ Israel's military said it was striking at facilities belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the powerful, multi-branch security apparatus.
− You know, we sometimes even compare it with the Versailles Palace in France.
+ The Pentagon did not respond to a NPR request for comment.
− FENG: This is the director of UNESCO's World Heritage Center, Lazare Eloundou Assomo, speaking earlier last week.
+ This photo taken on March 3 shows a view of the damaged Golestan Palace in Tehran.
− He said UNESCO had identified more heritage sites.
+ The palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was partially damaged in air raids during U.S.
− it wants to be protected in Iran from future strikes.
+ and Israeli strikes on Iran. Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images hide caption A March 2 strike also damaged Tehran's Golestan Palace, an opulent former royal Qajar dynasty complex, largely built and renovated in the 18th century.
− (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) ASSOMO: We have communicated all the geographical coordinates to all the parties so that everyone is aware and that this World Heritage Site should not be subject to any attack.
+ "You know, we sometimes even compare it with the Versailles Palace in France," the director of UNESCO's world heritage center, Lazare Eloundou Assomo, said this month.
− FENG: Under international law, all countries must distinguish between military and civilian sites and minimize damage to cultural sites.
+ UNESCO says it has also "communicated to all parties concerned the geographical coordinates of sites on the World Heritage List as well as those of national significance, to avoid any potential damage." Under international law, all countries must distinguish between military and civilian sites and minimize damage to cultural sites during military conflicts. But complicating how the U.S.
− But that line has become increasingly blurred in this latest conflict.
+ can work to minimize civilian damage are Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's remarks earlier this month, when he said the U.S. would employ "no stupid rules of engagement" in its conflict with Iran.
− (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) PETE HEGSETH: No stupid rules of engagement, no nationbuilding quagmire, no democracy-building exercise.
+ In the past, rules of engagement have been key in helping military forces in conflict zones like Iraq and Afghanistan distinguish cultural sites from military ones.
− FENG: U.S.
+ Any absence of rules of engagement in this conflict with Iran could put cultural and civilian infrastructure at greater risk of U.S.
− Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier this month the military would loosen restrictions on how U.S.
+ and Israeli bombardment, warns Patty Gerstenblith, an emerita professor of law at Chicago's DePaul University who serves as president of the U.S.
− forces wage war.
+ Committee of the Blue Shield International, which works to protect cultural heritage during times of war.
− PATTY GERSTENBLITH: Rules by which the U.S. military conducts an armed conflict.
+ Rules of engagement are established practice, she says.
− FENG: This is Patty Gerstenblith, an emerita professor of law at Chicago's DePaul University.
+ "This is what you can or cannot do, all of which is already incorporated into law in the United States," she explains.
− She is also the president of the U.S.
+ "So the rules of engagement are not law per se, but they're based on things like the Uniform Code of Military Justice, other aspects of the War Crimes Act of 1996, which incorporates several aspects of international law … which the United States has ratified and is therefore automatically incorporated into U.S.
− Committee of Blue Shield International, which works to protect cultural heritage during times of war.
+ domestic law." A weeks-long internet and telecommunications blackout imposed by Iran's government is also complicating efforts to document and verify damage to the country's most cherished cultural sites. In previous conflicts, such as the civil war in Syria and the 2003 U.S.
− In the past, rules of engagement helped distinguish cultural sites from military ones.
+ invasion of Iraq, Gerstenblith says preservation groups like hers were able to monitor damage and looting to archaeological sites through satellite imagery.
− And in the past... GERSTENBLITH: For example, in Syria and Iraq, following or as part of the conflict, archaeological sites were looted on a large scale.
+ But now, companies including Planet Labs and Vantor are blocking or embargoing satellite imagery of the Middle East for days or weeks before public release.
− A lot of that was documented through satellite imagery.
+ Gerstenblith says this makes it nearly impossible to monitor Iranian sites in real time.
− FENG: But now, this time, satellite imagery of Iran from companies like Planet Labs and Vantor are being blocked or embargoed for days before being released publicly, which Gerstenblith says makes it nearly impossible to monitor Iranian sites in real time.
How to make sense of the damage to Iran's cultural legacy is dividing Iranians.
− Shahandeh at SOAS in London says...
− SHAHANDEH: You know, at the same time, this anger and rage that - why should buildings matter more to the world than the lives of all these children, all these people. FENG: But she says in reality, the tragedy is doublefold. SHAHANDEH: The Iranian people and our heritage and our culture. FENG: Everything, she says, is caught in this crossfire.
+ "There is this, you know, at the same time, this anger and rage that why should buildings matter more to the world than the lives of all these children, all these people?" says SOAS' Shahandeh, referring to the thousands of Iranian demonstrators human rights organizations say were killed by Iranian security forces during anti-government protests earlier this year, and more recently, the civilians killed in joint U.S.
− Emily Feng, NPR News. Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor MessageBecome an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{1167:function(e,n,c){e.exports=c(323)},323:function(e,n,c){"use strict";c.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([c.e(1),c.e(2),c.e(3),c.e(4),c.e(84)]).then(function(e){c(3),c(1140),c(116),c(94),c(52),c(493),c(239),c(102),c(104),c(1141),c(143),c(1142),c(238),c(48),c(1143)}.bind(null,c)).catch(c.oe)}},[[1167,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();
+ and Israeli strikes. But in reality, she says, the tragedy is twofold: "The Iranian people and our heritage and our culture … everything is caught in this crossfire." Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor