TEHRAN — Iran and Tajikistan have opened a joint virtual exhibition showcasing two traditional forms of decorative art, highlighting centuries-old cultural ties as historic sites in Tehran recover from damage sustained during recent attacks.
The exhibition, titled “One Heritage, Two Lands,” opened Tuesday simultaneously at the Golestan Palace World Heritage complex in Tehran and the National Museum of Tajikistan. It features about 20 digital images of Tajik kandekari, or carved decorative art, and 10 images of Qajar-era tilework from the eastern and southern sections of Golestan Palace.
Afsaneh Emami, director of the Golestan Palace complex, said parts of the palace had sustained extensive damage from the blast waves of attacks by Israel and the United States.
The damage was painful, she said, but holding virtual exhibitions demonstrated that the complex remained active and determined to restore its historic buildings.
High-resolution images and information about Tajik kandekari were supplied by the National Museum of Tajikistan and displayed alongside digital images of Golestan Palace tilework.
Kandekari, a traditional Tajik architectural art, uses geometric, floral and arabesque designs carved into plaster and wood to decorate walls and ceilings. Its origins are traced to the 14th and 15th centuries, and the craft 
remains practiced in Tajikistan.
Ali-Shir Zarifi, deputy director of the National Museum of Tajikistan, said the exhibition offered both countries an opportunity to introduce their shared historical and cultural heritage to an international audience.
The museum has 22 exhibition halls devoted to Tajik history and culture, displaying historical objects, artworks and representations of customs and traditions from ancient times to the modern era, he said.
The exhibition was organized as Tajikistan prepares to mark the 35th anniversary of its independence and forms part of expanding cultural cooperation between the two countries.
Zarifi said kandekari remained an active artistic tradition in Tajikistan, with contemporary artists continuing to use geometric, floral and arabesque motifs.
The exhibition is part of a broader series of virtual cultural projects by Golestan Palace. Earlier this year, it hosted “Dance of the Pen in Lands” and “Steel Link,” an exhibition of 18th- and 19th-century weapons organized with a South Korean calligraphy organization.
The opening also highlighted the damage suffered by another major historic complex in Tehran.
Seyyed Mohsen Mir, director of the Sa’dabad Historical and Cultural Complex, said six bunker-busting bombs were fired near the complex during attacks by the United States and Israel, severely damaging parts of the Green Palace Museum and the Museum of the Brothers Omidvar.
About 17,000 square meters of glass was shattered across Sa’dabad, while doors and windows throughout the palaces were dislodged, Mir said.
Museum objects were moved to secure storage before the attacks and escaped damage. Preventive conservation work has continued because the security threat remains.
The Iran-Tajikistan cultural agreement includes 12 provisions on cultural heritage, covering exchanges of knowledge and expertise. The virtual exhibition represents the first project carried out under the new framework.