The Khorramshahr Sacred Defense Museum and Cultural Center is the first Sacred Defense Museum in Iran. It was established in 1996 along the Karun River and Imam Khomeini (ra) Boulevard in the city.

The current building of the museum dates back to 1930, when it served as the administrative office of the British Oil Company. Following the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry in 1951, the building was taken from British control and handed over to the National Iranian Oil Company, where it continued to function as an administrative office until the end of the Iran-Iraq War. During the nineteen-month occupation of Khorramshahr by the Baath regime, this same building was used as an observation post and command center for the Iraqi Faluja Brigade. About five years after the end of the imposed war, the building— whose structural strength had itself become a symbol of the Iranian nation’ s resilient and fruitful resistance against the aggressors— was selected as the site of the Sacred Defense Museum. Then, it was restored and equipped over a period of three years.

The Khorramshahr War Museum covers a total area of 10,000 square meters, with 2,400 square meters of built space. Among its facilities are a specialized Sacred Defense library containing approximately 3,000 volumes, a film-screening hall, and the mausoleum of three unidentified martyrs who were buried there in 2006. Because the building had served as an enemy observation post during the Iran-Iraq War, several handwritten inscriptions left by the occupiers still remain on the walls. Among them, the phrase “ We came to stay” is the most noticeable.

The Khorramshahr Sacred Defense Cultural Center consists of six halls: Crisis, Resistance, Occupation, Liberation, Reconstruction of Khorramshahr, and Khorramshahr Today. Each hall highlights different aspects of the epic resistance of the people of Khorramshahr during the Sacred Defense.⁠[1]

The first hall covers the period before the official start of the war and the initial assault by the Baathist army.

The second hall vividly displays tangible manifestations of the 45-day resistance of the people in Khorramshahr who defended the city with very limited weapons and resources.

The third hall is dedicated to the occupation period, revealing through images the ruthless destruction of houses and the looting of people’ s belongings by the occupiers.

The fourth hall depicts Operation Beit al-Muqaddas and the liberation of Khorramshahr.

The fifth hall portrays the return of the people to the liberated city.

The sixth hall, Khorramshahr Today, presents 30 images from the past alongside 30 images of the city today.

Throughout the museum’ s halls, graphic panels, three-dimensional works, military equipment left behind by Baathist forces, artifacts belonging to key martyrs of Khorramshahr, items used by fighters and martyrs, symbols of various battle zones, and artistic statues are on display.

The museum also exhibits items belonging to the commanders who sacrificed their lives during the Khorramshahr resistance, such as Seyyed Muhammad‑Ali Jahanara and Abdolreza Mousavi (commanders of the Khorramshahr Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)), along with items from other Army and IRGC martyrs, as well as military equipment from the Sacred Defense period. Many remnants of the war also remain untouched and unchanged on the building’ s walls. Personal belongings of martyrs, recreated trenches, old weapons, and oral recollections form part of the museum’ s collection.

In the outdoor area, several 1980s vehicles have been installed vertically in the ground as a symbolic representation of the Baath regime’ s actions in the barren lands surrounding Khorramshahr. After occupying the port, the invaders drove customs vehicles— along with numerous thick poles and various other objects— deep into the earth along the Abadan– Ahvaz Road to prevent potential Iranian paratrooper landings. After the liberation of Khorramshahr, this area was named “ Milabad” (City of Pillar), and a representation of it has been recreated in the museum courtyard.

Thirty narrators at the Khorramshahr Sacred Defense Museum provide visitors with an overview of the events that took place in Khorramshahr during the Iran-Iraq War. A short documentary on the liberation of Khorramshahr is also screened for visitors.⁠[2] The Khorramshahr War Museum is free to visit for everyone.