Heritage under Siege: Comparative Perspectives on Vandalism, Climate Change and Global Inequality in Nigeria and Iran

Abstract

Heritage in Nigeria and Iran is increasingly caught in a difficult tension. Sites and objects are celebrated as evidence of historical depth, collective memory and cultural identity, yet the same heritage is often exposed to climate stress, insecurity, vandalism, urban pressure and unequal systems of governance. This article examines that tension through four case studies: the Sukur Cultural Landscape and the National Museum in Benin City in Nigeria, and the Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex and Pina Shalvar Cemetery in Iran. Bringing together critical theory, postcolonial critique and environmental justice, it asks how heritage becomes “under siege” when ecological, political and economic pressures overlap. The study draws on qualitative fieldwork, semi-structured interviews, field observation, document analysis and critical discourse analysis. It argues that heritage should not be approached as a passive inheritance from the past, but as a contested field in which memory, power, ownership and survival are continually negotiated. The comparison shows that local communities are not only witnesses to heritage loss; they are also custodians whose knowledge exposes the limits of global heritage regimes. Heritage protection, therefore, cannot be reduced to technical conservation. It also requires ecological care, cultural justice and more democratic forms of participation.