Heritage is often damaged in armed conflicts. Sometimes heritage is not targeted but becomes collateral damage. At other times cultural heritage objects, monument and sites are specifically targeted based on their significance to a particular community or nation. We regularly hear of heritage being destroyed in Iraq and Syria due to the ongoing conflict. In addition to the various armed conflicts, bombing of cities and related looting, there has recently been the more targeted destruction of heritage sites by extremist militant groups. The meaningless destruction of cultural heritage in Palmyra, Nineveh, Hatta and Raqqa are part of a growing list. The most recent destruction was of the al-Nuri mosque in Mosel, particularly the unique 800-year old leaning Hadba Minaret, by Islamic State. It was from Mosel that the militants had announced the creation of a Caliphate in 2014 and as they were pushed out in retaliation they blew up the iconic Minaret. The destruction of cultural heritage has been part of history. Alexander looted Persepolis which was then destroyed by fire. We note the destruction of Afrosiab, ancient Samarkand, by the hordes of Genghis Khan. There are more recent stories of cities being destroyed. Bombing raids during the Second World War destroyed London and Hull in the United Kingdom, Berlin and Dresden in Germany, Tokyo and of course Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. The reverse story is how Kyoto was saved because the US Secretary of War, Henry Stimson persuaded President Truman to remove the historic city from the target list. Destruction of cultural heritage was such a serious issue during the Second World War that the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict or the Hague Convention was drafted in 1954. It is however a complex document with two protocols, the second providing more protection but being rather complicated. It is possibly less the articles of the convention than the awareness that is important. Additionally the International Court has begun declaring the destruction of cultural heritage as a war crime under the Rome Statute. The first time such a case was tried was for the destruction of historic monuments in Timbuktu. What about the bombing of World Heritage properties of Aleppo in Syria and Sana’a in Yemen? Nepal has had its own armed conflict in recent years. This led to the destruction of the palaces of Tansen and Mangalsen. The palace in Tansen was burnt down on the night of January 31, 2006 by Maoist forces after having captured and taken the Chief District Officer and numerous officials hostage. Within a few years the Maoist party won the elections and were ruling the country. Clearly the burning down of the heritage buildings did not support their political endeavours, possibly even tarnished their reputation. I was told that they made an officially statement that it had been wrong to set fire to the historic palace buildings. The ongoing conflict in Darjeeling could potentially lead to the destruction of cultural heritage. In the past, many historic buildings were set alight, incrementally losing the identity of a wonderful place. Even during the period of more stable politics, numerous historic buildings were demolished. Darjeeling’s history and identity is greatly defined by the tea estates, the forests, the picturesque settlements with cottages and regal buildings of the Empire. Furthermore there is the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a World Heritage property that boasts the B-class steam engines. On June 15, the small railway station at Gayabari was set alight targeting the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways. It is said that the locals managed to put out the fire. We must congratulate the brave local community. Furthermore, this is a plea to all parties to safeguard the heritage of Darjeeling: the historic buildings and the unique railway. The author is an architect and can be reached atkai.weise@yahoo.com