Saving Iran's artefacts

During the Israel-Iran war, the countries traded missile and rocket fire that killed and injured hundreds of civilians and put the region's cultural heritage at risk. How can artefacts and historical sites be protected?

As per DW, the Paris-based International Council of Museums (ICOM) had issued an emphatic warning after the first bomb strikes: There was a "growing danger" for museums and their employees.

The ICOM, which consists of 8,000 museum professionals worldwide, including members from Israel and Iran, had demanded that both sides adhere to international conventions for the protection of cultural heritage, even in the event of conflict. "However, we can do no more than admonish and warn," the president of the ICOM's German National Committee, Felicia Sternfeld, told DW.

Did this appeal have an impact? The news situation on the ground is thin, with only sparse information coming out of Iran in particular, as the government allows hardly any foreign journalists to enter and severely restricts the press. However, one thing seems certain: Contingency plans were activated in both countries at the start of the Israel-Iran conflict. As much as possible, experts worked to secure, remove and relocate cultural assets. It is currently unclear whether there has been any damage.

Tehran museum evacuated

Iran has a rich cultural heritage. This includes 28 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and about 840 museums, 300 of which are under the administration of the Culture Ministry. "Iran has a well-organised and professional heritage authority," Judith Thomalsky, the head of the Tehran branch of the German Archaeological Institute, said in an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio.

Thomalsky's office has been operating from Berlin since 2023, when thousands of Iranians protested the regime and the German Federal Foreign Office withdrew staff from German institutions as a precaution. The Institute itself continues its work on the premises of the German Embassy in Tehran with local staff, and Thomalsky maintains as much contact as possible with her Iranian network.

Barbara Helwing, director of the Museum of the Ancient Near East in Berlin and Thomalsky's predecessor from 2000 to 2014, is also an expert on Iran. She told German regional broadcaster RBB that she was in contact with her colleagues at the National Museum until recently; there has been occasional radio silence because the Iranian regime had shut down the Internet.

"We know that the museum and its two large buildings near the Foreign Ministry have been emptied," Helwing said. She added that she has seen photos showing empty display cases.

Sandbags shield exhibits

The Iranian National Museum is not only the oldest but also the most important museum in Iran. Comprising two buildings with three halls each, it houses more than 300,000 archaeological finds from pre-Islamic and Islamic times, including many objects made of stone, ceramics, glass and metals.

"In Iran, the relationship with cultural heritage is very close," Helwing said. The country's cultural identity is based on a long history and the awareness that the first real-world empire in history, the ancient Persian Empire (around 550 to 330 BCE), originated in Iran. According to Helwing, all portable museum objects were hastily transported into the cellars.

The non-movable artefacts, mainly stone objects, were covered with sandbags to protect them from strikes and flying debris. Unlike in Israel, there are no bunkers in Iran — neither for people nor for valuable art treasures.

Protecting archaeological sites that are often located in open areas has proved far more difficult. "You can't really protect them," Helwing said. "You can only hope that they are far enough away from potential targets."

Taq-e Bostan in danger?

According to the English-language Tehran Times, Taq-e Bostan, an archeological complex from the era of the Sasanian dynasty (224-651 CE) that includes a one-of-a-kind monumental rock relief, faces particular danger. The newspaper reported that the Israeli Air Force bombed a weapons depot just two kilometers away from the complex. The resulting shock waves and vibrations may have damaged the site, Helwing said, though she lacked more precise information.

"Iran's Department of Antiquities knows what it needs to do," said Judith Thomalsky, a historian who focuses on prehistoric times and who has spent over 20 years working in Iran. She also believes that it isn't possible to protect open archaeological sites such as the Persepolis complex, the Bisotun inscriptions and Takht-e Soleyman, or "Throne of Solomon," an archaeological site. She told the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel that, though she doesn't believe that cultural assets face an acute threat, it is impossible to know how things may develop.

World heritage sites are under formal protection of the international community. The 1954 Hague convention regulates the protection of cultural material in armed conflict, while the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention governs conservation of cultural assets among nations.

From July 6-16, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will be holding its 47th session in Paris. Among other things, experts will discuss potential future UNESCO cultural heritage sites. The session will be livestreamed.