Beyond the two World Wars, we have seen an almost constant succession of hot war and cultural, artistic destruction all around the world, especially very recently: IS*S' destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas, Nimrud, and Palmyra to Ukraine, and now in Gaza, Iran, and Beirut. These buildings and artworks belong not only to their respective countries but to humankind and unite us all.

Thumbnail Image Credits:

• Left: Ninara, CC BY 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

• Right: Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images

The War on Ugly Episode 2: https://youtu.be/Mp3m_9Ay9p4?si=aZetKvnx2lBXexzo

Sources:
Looted Art: https://www.lootedartcommission.com/SK0IC153866
Monuments Men: https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/provenance-research-resources/monuments-men

Postwar Reconstruction: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41817984
Isfahan Mosque UNESCO: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1397

The Gaurdian article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/12/dismay-as-ancient-heritage-sites-across-iran-damaged-in-us-israel-bombing

WaPo on Damage to Historical Sites: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/03/12/unesco-iran-war-heritage-sites/16f0aaf6-1dc9-11f1-a29c-fd43da9a479a_story.html

Saint Porphyrius Church Damage:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/20/war-crime-israel-bombs-gaza-church-sheltering-displaced-people
UNESCO Gaza Assessment: https://www.unesco.org/en/gaza/assessment