Reza Shah's Old House Threatened by Building Construction
By S. Omid Arab

Reza Shah's house in Tehran

Tehran, 20 February 2007 (CHN) – The cultural landscape of the old house of Reza Khan, founder of Pahlavid dynastic era (1925-1979 AD), where he spent most of his childhood and youth is being threatened by its next-door neighbor who has started legal processings for getting permission from the municipality to construct a tall building next to this historical house.

Announcing this news, Kianoosh Taklou, lawyer advisor of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Tehran province told to CHN: "In order to prevent any harm to this historical house, the provincial Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) in Tehran has entered into correspondence with the municipality in district number 12 in Tehran, where Reza Shah's house is located and has warned that the municipality should take the responsibility for any possible damages which will be posed to this house due to construction activities."

This house dates back to the first Pahlavid dynastic era and based on historical evidence, Reza Shah, first Pahlavid king who ruled Iran from December 1925 until September 1941, spent most of his childhood and youth in this house before he reached to power and won the crown. This building have been registered in list of Iran's National Heritage sites in 2005.

Although, architecturally, no artistic work can be seen in Reza Shah's house and it was simply constructed by adobe and brick, every part of it has witnessed some of the most prominent events in contemporary history of Iran, which is why it is so important for the cultural heritage enthusiasts to preserve it.

According to Taklou, it seems that the owner of next-door neighbor is intended to construct a 24- floor building in his 900-meter land which will vulgarize the cultural landscape of this historical house.

Based on regulations, due to existence of a large number of historical monuments in the district number 12 of Tehran, any kind of construction and developing projects should be coordinated with experts of Tehran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department in advance to prevent any harm to the historical texture of this area.

Pahalvid dynasty was the last kingdom in Iran which overthrew by the Islamic revolution in 1979.