The Kerman Sacred Defense Garden Museum, covering an area of four hectares, is located on Paradais Boulevard in Kerman. It displays documents and military equipment related to the eight years of the Iran-Iraq War. Kerman Sacred Defense Garden Museum is the first garden museum in the country. Its construction was initiated and closely followed by Major General Haj Qasem Soleimani (martyred) during the First National Congress of the Martyrs of Kerman Province in 1999. With a budget of 11 billion rials, it was designed and built on a four‑hectare site, with a total built area of 2,500 square meters across three floors.⁠[1]

The various sections of the Kerman Sacred Defense Garden Museum include:

1. The Mausoleum of the eight unidentified martyrs of the Sacred Defense: It stands at the entrance to the museum, where visitors first encounter Martyrs Park. The remains of eight unidentified martyrs rest on both sides of this park. At its center lies a fountain, and on either side are stone engravings depicting seventeen martyred commanders from Kerman Province, arranged to evoke the impression of a blooming tulip. Above the entrance gate to the exhibition area appear two symbolic motifs— Ashura and Kawthar. The Ashura gate, constructed from shell casings, is designed to resemble the latticework of the holy burial chamber of Imam Hussain (as). A short distance ahead, the “ Ya Tharallah (as) ” flag rises prominently, topped with a hand symbol and featuring the phrase Allah Akbar formed at its center.

2. Main museum building: There is a blooming tulip with four petals surrounding it at the top of this treasure house (museum). Eight columns— representing the eight years of Sacred Defense— are incorporated into the entrance gate. The museum has two separate parts: open-air and enclosed spaces, covering an area of 2,550 square meters. The enclosed area consists of eight halls, each dedicated to one aspect of Sacred Defense and narrating part of the war’ s events.

3. Talar-e Ebrat (Hall of Reflection): This hall presents a comparative narrative that contrasts the Iranian people’ s defense during the Iran– Iraq War with Iran’ s major wars over the past two centuries. Iran’ s defeats in previous wars are shown through documents and maps. Various treaties that led to the dismemberment of greater Iran and the plundering of its territory by foreigners in different historical periods are displayed. The Treaty of Turkmenchay, the Treaty of Gulistan, and the text of the 1975 Algiers Agreement are among these documents.

4. Talar-e Basirat (Hall of Insight): Documents related to the months and days preceding the official outbreak of the Iran– Iraq War are displayed here, presenting a clear picture of the escalating hostilities that led to the full‑scale invasion. These materials include evidence of scattered enemy attacks, instances of mortar fire targeting Iranian territory, and reports documenting the seizure of several Iranian border posts by Iraqi forces. These clearly identify the aggressor and affirm the legitimacy of the Iranian nation’ s cause in this Sacred Defense. Several examples of tools and equipment related to the war are also exhibited.

5. Talar-e Noor (Hall of Light): Documents related to the beginning of the Iran-Iraq War, Saddam Hussein’ s orders to occupy various Iranian cities, and the assistance, cooperation, and encouragement that the Western powers and reactionary Arab states provided to Saddam with the aim of weakening and defeating the Islamic Republic, are presented in this hall.

6. Talar-e Shaqayeq (Hall of Poppy): In the sixth hall, documents related to the victories and steadfastness of the Iranian nation, correspondence between Iran’ s then-president and Saddam Hussein, images of major successes such as the liberation of Khorramshahr, medals awarded to Sacred Defense commanders, and more are on display for visitors.

7. Talar-e Shuhada (Hall of Martyrs): Portraits of some martyred commanders from across the homeland and the shirts of martyrs are displayed in this hall.

8. Talar-e Azadi (Hall of Freedom): This is where a dynamic and fully animated model of Operation Valfajr 8 is presented to visitors. Running for fifty minutes, the model electronically and mechanically simulates the operation— using coordinated light, imagery, and sound— to depict the advance of Iranian fighters as they overcome obstacles. Constructed with 45,000 meters of wiring, the model features moving tanks and armored personnel carriers, aircraft crashes, aerial bombardments, cluster flares, and tank fire. All elements are designed to recreate the atmosphere of Operation Valfajr 8 at a scale of 1:11,000 of the actual battlefield, allowing visitors to feel immersed in the operational environment. This model was designed and built by personnel of the 41st Tharallah (as) Division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

9. Open-Air area: This outdoor section is composed of three main parts: the display of heavy and light military weapons— about eighty percent of which are war spoils— and reconstructed friendly and enemy trenches. The open-air area recreates the Karbala 5 operational zone (Shalamcheh). Trenches are realistically designed and sound-engineered using actual recordings from Operation Karbala 5 and special effects in a way that visitors feel as if they are in the operational zone. In the emergency trench, visitors hear ambulance sirens, the conversations of nurses and doctors, and the moans of wounded soldiers. In the propagation trench, the audio features the call to prayer along with various Quran and hadith classes. In the assembly trench, speeches are played, while in the command trench, discussions explaining the Karbala 5 operational map are broadcast using the original voices of the commanders. A pond containing 30,000 square meters of water— originally created by Iraqi forces in Shalamcheh to block the Iranian advance— is precisely recreated here. Several boats are provided in the pond for visitors who wish to explore the simulated enemy operational area. Floating bridges used in Operation Kheibar are also installed on the pond. When entering the simulated enemy zone, visitors would encounter obstacles such as barbed wire, solar barriers, various minefields, reconnaissance canals, and voices from Iraqi trenches heard via radio.

The Martyrs’ Cemetery is the final part of the open-air area, featuring eight thousand symbolic gravestones for martyrs from Kerman and Sistan and Baluchestan provinces. Gravestones are installed separately for the martyrs of each county.⁠[2]

The museum is open free of charge. During the first six months of the year, visiting hours are from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM and from 4:30 PM to 7:30 PM. In the second six months, it is open from 7:30 AM to 1:00 PM and from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM.

In addition to in-person visits, a 360-degree virtual tour of the Kerman Sacred Defense Garden Museum is available on the museum’ s website at https://kermanhdm.ir/.