When wars destroy heritage, women lose more than monuments—new research
UNESCO has verified damage to 527 cultural sites in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion; 164 sites in Gaza since October 7, 2023; and damage to the World Heritage-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran following a nearby airstrike. These losses are usually described as attacks on "history," "civilization" or "the past" and sometimes as a "loss for all humanity." But as our new research details, such destruction can also negatively affect communities' sense of belonging and identity—and erode women's sense of safety and security amid conflict. Islamic State's campaign Islamic State's campaign across Syria and Iraq from 2013 involved mass violence, human rights abuses and forced displacement.
- ▪UNESCO has verified damage to 527 cultural sites in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion; 164 sites in Gaza since October 7, 2023; and damage to the World Heritage-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran following a nearby airstrike.
- ▪These losses are usually described as attacks on "history," "civilization" or "the past" and sometimes as a "loss for all humanity." But as our new research details, such destruction can also negatively affect communities' sense of belongin
- ▪Islamic State's campaign Islamic State's campaign across Syria and Iraq from 2013 involved mass violence, human rights abuses and forced displacement.
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| Original publisher | Phys.org |
| Canonical URL | https://phys.org/news/2026-05-wars-destroy-heritage-women-monuments.html |
| Publication time | Mon, 25 May 2026 10:00:06 EDT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-25T14:02:37.994Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-25T14:02:39.414Z |
| Headline source | Publisher (no WeSearch rewrite) |
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| Summary source text | contentText |
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Basis: Derived from the published RSS/Atom feed. Contact: [email protected]. Reviewed: 2026-07-24.
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May 25, 2026 When wars destroy heritage, women lose more than monuments—new research by Benjamin Isakhan, Eleanor Childs, The Conversation edited by Lisa Lock, reviewed by Andrew Zinin Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Meet our editorial team Behind our editorial process Andrew Zinin Lead Editor Meet our editorial team Behind our editorial process Editors' notes This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked trusted source written by researcher(s) proofread The GIST Add as preferred source Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain As conflict continues in Ukraine, Gaza, Iran and elsewhere, the cost is being recorded not only in deaths and displacement, but…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Phys.org.