TEHRAN – Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts has played host to an exhibition at its central headquarters to mark Sacred Defense Week, which commemorates the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq war.

The exhibition features artifacts from war veterans and fallen soldiers, along with models of prominent figures such as General Qassem Soleimani and commander Mohammad Ebrahim Hemmat.

A banner titled “Notes to the Martyrs” was also displayed, allowing visitors to leave written tributes to those killed during the eight-year conflict.

According to organizers, cultural competitions were held alongside the exhibition to familiarize participants with the lives of the martyrs, with cultural prizes awarded to attendees, the report said.

Sacred Defense Week, observed annually starting on the first day of the Iranian calendar month of Shahrivar 31, marks the outbreak of the war when Iraqi president Saddam Hussein announced the invasion of Iran, ending the 1975 Algiers Agreement.

AM