The 17th-century Chehel Sotoun Palace — the "Forty Columns Palace" — in Isfahan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed as part of the Persian Garden, sustained verified damage on March 9–10, 2026, following U.S.-Israeli strikes on the Isfahan provincial governor's office approximately 100 metres away. Shockwaves shattered windows, crumbled intricate muqarnas vaulted ceilings, and opened a significant crack through a celebrated Safavid-era fresco depicting Shah Tahmasp and the Mughal emperor Humayun. The palace had only reopened on February 18, 2026, following a completed round of restoration work — with active conservation still underway at the time of the strikes.
Key Details on Damage
Location: Shockwaves from a strike targeting the Isfahan provincial governor's office — located approximately 100 metres from the palace — propagated through the Dawlatkhaneh complex, reaching the Chehel Sotoun pavilion and its surrounding heritage structures.
Structural and interior impact: Confirmed damage includes shattered grand windows, blown-open doors, crumbling muqarnas honeycomb vaulted ceilings, damaged Safavid mirrorwork, and a large crack running through a 17th-century fresco depicting a historic royal audience between the Safavid and Mughal courts. Several adjacent structures within the complex — including the Rakeb-Khaneh pavilion, Ashraf Hall, and the 15th-century Timurid Hall — also sustained damage.
Context: The Chehel Sotoun Palace is part of the Persian Garden serial UNESCO inscription alongside eight other historic gardens across Iran. The site was mid-restoration at the time of the strikes — an active conservation project on its main portico had begun in October 2025, and the palace had only just reopened to the public ten days before the damage occurred. UNESCO pre-shared the site's exact coordinates with all parties; both the U.S. and Israel confirmed receipt.
Preservation risks: The palace's murals — among the largest surviving examples of Persianate painting, attributed to famed Safavid artist Reza Abbasi — are acutely vulnerable. A cracked fresco cannot be restored to its original state. The compound nature of the damage, spanning mirrorwork, muqarnas, glazing, and painted surfaces simultaneously, significantly increases the complexity and cost of any restoration intervention.
Our Preliminary Estimate
Multi-surface damage — frescoes, muqarnas, mirrorwork, glazing and adjacent structures Preliminary estimate
Note: The palace was mid-restoration at time of damage. Prior international recognition includes the 1980 Aga Khan Award for Architecture for conservation work at this site. No current international emergency funding has been confirmed. OFAC license required for any fund disbursement into Iran.
$200,000 – $650,000 USD
