Conflict takes toll on historical sites

Tehran suffered the most as 63 historical, cultural and civilizational monuments in the capital were affected, including the Golestan Palace, "which is a masterpiece of the Safavid and Qajar eras' architecture", the minister said, adding that the Sa'dabad Palace, with an area spanning about 100 hectares and around 20 museums, also suffered serious damage.

In the central province of Isfahan, 23 historical and civilizational sites were damaged, the most important being the Chehel Sotoun Palace, which is inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization World Heritage List. In the western province of Kurdistan, 12 historical monuments have been damaged.

"As someone who has spent decades studying Iranian artistic traditions, I can tell you that these are not empty buildings. Every tile-work panel, every inscribed archway, every manuscript cabinet represents a node in a living network of human knowledge that took centuries to construct and cannot be reconstructed in any lifetime," Zoghi said.

She said that Iranian artistic heritage is deeply layered. A single mosque may contain brickwork, calligraphy, tile mosaics, and painted interiors, and each layer has a different conversation.