TEHRAN – A selection of eleven elements and properties involving the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, which is called Sacred Defense in the Islamic Republic, have recently been added to the national heritage list.

Designated from the provinces of Khuzestan, Khorasan Razavi, and East Azarbaijan, the new entries include a customs building, an embankment, an underground hospital, as well as war elements and evidence existing in a mosque, and in a garrison,  Mehr reported on Tuesday.

For those interested to visit an epitome of frontlines elsewhere from the former battlefields, Tehran embraces several destinations; the Sacred Defense Museum, Tehran Peace Museum, and Behesht-e Zahra—a graveyard where many of the martyrs are buried. The epic-scale Sacred Defense Museum does bargain something different in modern Iranian history where you can delve into wreckages of rockets, tanks, rifles, vessels, mortars, radars, air defense systems, grounded jets, military supplies, and artillery pieces amongst others.

The Sacred Defense Museum is equipped with a state-of-the-art visual system including projections and video walls, while audio recordings relevant to each period contribute to its charm. The complex has vast garden areas, water features, and children’s play areas. Outside, a patchwork of domestically-manufactured armaments such as rockets, tanks, and artillery pieces are on show. Currently, some 15 museums related to the Sacred Defense are active across the country.

Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ordered the attack nearly 19 months after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, setting the stage for an eight year-war. It drew to a close in August 1988 and the United Nations declared Saddam as the initiator of the conflict.

AFM