UNESCO World Heritage Site Golestan Palace Damaged in Tehran Strikes

The 400-year-old Golestan Palace in Tehran, Iran's sole UNESCO World Heritage Site in the capital, suffered blast damage from missile strikes on March 2. Located near Arg Square in central Tehran, the historic complex experienced shattered windows, scattered glass and mirror fragments, and debris across its grounds. Ahmad Alavi, head of Tehran city council's tourism committee, reported that explosion forces even buckled sections of asphalt within the palace. Iranian officials had previously taken protective measures as tensions escalated, wrapping fragile interiors and moving artifacts to undisclosed storage. Iran's minister of cultural heritage, tourism, and handicrafts visited the site on March 2, with plans to submit a formal technical assessment to UNESCO for restoration. UNESCO condemned both US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran's retaliatory attacks, noting it had communicated exact coordinates of World Heritage properties to conflict parties, urging compliance with the 1954 Hague Convention and 1972 World Heritage Convention. Iran hosts 29 World Heritage Sites total. While no other listed monuments have been officially reported damaged, restricted access and focus on civilian casualties mean the full cultural impact remains unclear.