Israel and Iran have taken steps to safeguard their cultural property as hostilities continue to escalate between neighboring countries, including air strikes on the International Metropolitan Center.
According to local reports, Iran’s cultural heritage organizations have transferred museum artifacts across the country to ensure storage locations, closed museums and heritage sites until further notice. On Friday, Israeli missiles bombed the start of Tehran, deputy minister of cultural heritage, tourism and crafts, and Ali Darabi told local media that he had instructed the “custodians of cultural relics” to follow “crisis agreements” such as “reorganizing” famous museums. The next day, the Iranian Ministry of Culture confirmed that the transfer of all sensitive artifacts was completed.
Iran is home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and numerous internationally renowned arts and cultural institutions. Tehran is the capital of Iran, just the Iranian National Museum, the largest warehouse in the world for Persian archaeology and medieval visual art history. That museum complex covers two venues – the Ancient Iranian Museum and the Islamic Times Museum – which usually display calligraphy, pottery and artwork, in some cases, date back 300,000 years. The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art is also located in the capital, and its collection is an important work by Monet, Picasso and others. and the Kajal-era Golestan Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013.
On Monday, Israel ordered residents of Tehran’s District 3 to evacuate the air strikes at several government ministries and about 300,000 people. Iran warned citizens of cities, including Haifa and Tel Aviv. President Donald Trump reiterated an evacuation order issued by Israel on Tuesday, and Donald Trump called on the entire Tehranian to escape the city.
Several Israeli art institutions also transferred valuable art and artifacts to protected spaces on Friday following Iran’s retaliatory strike against Tel Aviv. “We’re used to it,” said Suzanne Landau, director of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The Time of Israel. Landau added that works from other museums and collections are also stored.
According to a museum spokesman, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art also launched a wartime agreement early Friday morning. This involves deleting all artworks exhibited in the gallery to underground facilities. By late Friday, both the Israeli Museum in Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art were cited as national security guidelines. Both agencies said they would close indefinitely.
On Monday, the Iranian Archaeological Society, a non-governmental academic group dedicated to caring for and studying Iran’s archaeological and cultural heritage, issued a telegraph statement condemning Iran’s military attacks urging military attacks on Iran and urging “all political parties” to comply with international human laws to constitute international human laws that intentionally target and destroy cultural property. The group called on UNESCO, Blue Shield and ICOMOS to “closely monitor the situation” and initiate emergency measures to protect the threatened legacy.
“Cultural heritage is not only the heritage of a country, but also the heritage of all mankind. Its destruction constitutes a profound attack on identity, memory and the foundation of peace.” The statement said, “We call for immediate coordinated international action to protect human life, protect cultural heritage, and defend international law and common human values.”
