TEHRAN – Iran’s minister of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts on Friday urged ancient nations to develop joint mechanisms to protect cultural heritage, warning that armed conflicts and neglect of historical identity pose the greatest threats.
Speaking at the 9th ministerial meeting of the Ancient Civilizations Forum at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Seyyed Reza Salehi-Amiri proposed establishing a “cooperation council of universities of ancient civilizations” to support scientific collaboration and safeguard shared heritage.
Salehi-Amiri said accelerating technological change and intensifying global competition required a return to ethical and civilizational principles. He said this tradition spanned from Greek philosophy to Iranian-Islamic scholarship, adding that knowledge without ethical foundations “could be dangerous.”
He listed organized trafficking of cultural property, climate-related damage, unbalanced development, digital forgery and historically inaccurate AI-generated content as current threats to global heritage. “Armed conflict remains the most destructive risk,” he said, adding that war targeted both physical structures and collective memory.
Referring to a recent attack by Israel’s regime on Iranian territory, Salehi-Amiri said the incident violated international law and showed the vulnerability of cultural heritage during military crises.
He said Iran had more than 34,000 nationally registered sites, 29 World Heritage properties and 27 elements of intangible heritage on UNESCO’s lists, with 58 additional sites on the tentative list.
Destruction of a historical site is “an assault on the identity and cultural dignity of a nation,” he underlined.
Salehi-Amiri said the Ancient Civilizations Forum, active since 2017, needed to move beyond issuing statements and establish operational mechanisms. He said Iran’s experience in recovering artefacts and using new technologies could support joint efforts.
Outlining Iran’s formal proposal, he said the new academic council would act as the forum’s research arm, analyzing the impacts of conflict and climate change, producing studies and drafting shared standards for member states.
He said Iran’s Jondi-Shapur University Jondi-Shapur University (aka Academy of Gondishapur), recognized by UNESCO in connection with its 1,750th anniversary, was prepared to host and coordinate the initiative.
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