TEHRAN – Iran plans to inaugurate 14 museums dedicated to the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, known as the ‘sacred defense’ by 2025.

“23 sacred defense museums are currently operational in the country, and it is planned to increase the number to 37 by [the Iranian calendar year] 1404 (starting March 2025),” IRNA quoted the director of Tehran’s Sacred Defense Museum as saying on Wednesday.

Ali-Asghar Jafari considered the sacred defense as a vital fragment of the country's cultural heritage, adding

“Remnants from the nation’s resistance, which have been gathered from (former) battle fronts, constitute an important share of our tangible cultural,” the official said.

Jafari made the remarks in a Tehran meeting held to commigrate the anniversary of the liberation of Khorramshahr from Saddam Hussein’s invading army back in May 1982.

Iranians hold special ceremonies to honor the fallen soldiers and to cherish the strength and resistance of the nation during “the Sacred Defense Week”, starting on Shahrivar 31 (September 21 this year) when Iraqi armed forces invaded western Iran.

Last September, a selection of eleven elements and properties involving the Iraqi-imposed war, was 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 a garrison,  Mehr reported.

The Iranian capital embraces several destinations for those interested in visiting an epitome of frontlines elsewhere from the former battlefields; the Sacred Defense Museum, Tehran Peace Museum, and Behesht-e Zahra—a graveyard where many of the martyrs are buried.

Moreover, 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.

It 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 recreation of the liberation of the city of Khorramshahr by the means of virtual exhibits and video projections is among the main features of the museum where stands a replica of the Khorramshahr mosque adorned with creamy and turquoise patterned tiles.

Some avid travelers say they are not just interested in visiting live or former warzones out of curiosity. In fact, what motivates them is guessing the stories of people who lost their lives, were displaced, wounded, captured, or lost their loved ones in those bitter moments of the history of mankind.

AFM