The passing of Keyvan Khosrovani, the Iranian architect and fashion designer, has revived memories of an event from 49 years ago when he successfully halted the planned demolition of Tehran’s historic Oudlajan neighborhood. Through a series of coordinated initiatives between 1977 and 1978, Khosrovani prevented the destruction of Oudlajan’s heritage footprint.

His subtle yet transformative influence, which previously revived traditional Baluchi needlework by featuring the craft of Mahtab Nourouzi on Queen Farah Pahlavi’s royal attire, was similarly deployed to safeguard this historic district in Tehran.

Born on July 29, 1939, Keyvan Khosrovani was the son of Lieutenant General Morteza Khosrovani, former head of the Military Judicial Administration. In 1957, he initiated his architectural studies at the University of California, Berkeley. After approximately a year in the United States, he returned to Iran to complete his master’s degree in architecture. He subsequently pursued advanced studies at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris under a French government scholarship, specializing in the restoration of historical monuments. Upon returning to Iran, alongside his close friend Kamran Diba, he co-founded Tehran’s first modern haute couture boutiques, designing famous garments for Queen Farah Pahlavi while serving as a founding member of the Farah Pahlavi Foundation.

IranWire previously examined Khosrovani’s professional achievements from various perspectives. However, this report focuses specifically on his civic initiative to preserve a historic neighborhood.

49 Years Ago: A Blueprint to Demolish a Historic Tehran Neighborhood

Oudlajan, one of Tehran’s oldest quarters, situated in the city’s historic core between Amir Kabir, 15 Khordad, Rey, and Mostafa Khomeini streets, served as a prominent high-status neighborhood during the Qajar era, encompassing 2,619 registered residential properties and 1,146 commercial shops.

The district preserves a notable concentration of old Tehran’s heritage, including Imamzadeh Yahya, Saraye Kazemi, the Mambarbashi House and School, the Dabir-ol-Molk Mansion, Oudlajan Bazaar, Timcheh Akbarian, historical mosques, Qajar-era residences, narrow alleyways, sabat archways, water cisterns (ab anbars), and public drinking fountains (saqakhanehs).

Keyvan Khosrovani emerged in the mid-1970s as a primary figure opposing municipal plans to clear and redevelop the area, enabling its historical fabric to endure today.

During the 1970s, urban management authorities in Tehran placed the demolition and urban renewal of Oudlajan on their official agenda. Urban planners argued that Oudlajan comprised dilapidated, structurally unsafe buildings.

Municipal officials contended that narrow pass-throughs were unsuited for modern municipal services, restricting vehicular access and emergency rescue vehicles during crises. Furthermore, planners argued that physical degradation encouraged unsafe social conditions, asserting that complete demolition and redevelopment represented the optimal urban solution.

According to issue 113 of Memar magazine, the National Consultative Assembly approved a 300-million-toman budget for the demolition and redevelopment of the quarter, with operational work scheduled to begin in the summer of 1978. This plan targeted an area containing at least one historical mosque, two shrines, numerous Qajar-era structures, and 293 active commercial shops.

Faced with a 300-million-toman redevelopment plan, Khosrovani launched a sustained opposition campaign. First, selecting Sadr-e Azam Alley in Oudlajan, he used its traditional mud-brick (kahgel) walls as an open-air gallery to display 20 architectural sketches and conceptual works.

In these 20 pieces, Khosrovani displayed paintings alongside architectural sketches of previously demolished historical structures across Iran, demonstrating the physical outcomes of unguided “urban renewal.” His objective was to draw Tehran residents directly into Oudlajan to experience the neighborhood firsthand. Additionally, he displayed a prominent banner on the alley walls demanding: “Pass the Urban Heritage Preservation Bill.”

Khosrovani extended his campaign beyond the exhibition. He placed the displayed sketches up for sale, intending to use the proceeds, alongside community participation, to restore two local alleys, demonstrating how historic preservation creates economic value without structural demolition.

Pop Music and National Television Enlisted for Oudlajan

To raise public and cultural awareness regarding the neighborhood’s pending demolition, Khosrovani invited musician Faramarz Aslani to join his effort.

Together, they organized a street concert in the courtyard of an abandoned Qajar-era building in Oudlajan. Attended by neighborhood residents and local children, Aslani performed verses from Hafez and Rumi, alongside a specially composed track titled “Oudlajan! Old Neighborhood of Tehran.”

In a tribute to Faramarz Aslani, researcher Nazanin Aigani noted: “The song ‘Oudlajan! Old Neighborhood of Tehran’ was omitted from official discographies and was performed live only once, on July 9, 1977, before the children of Oudlajan.”

Khosrovani also enlisted journalists to document the campaign. Film critic Houshang Golmakani authored reports on the initiative, while photographer Kaveh Golestan documented the events. Tamasha magazine published coverage of the exhibition and performance, while National Iranian Radio and Television (NIRT) dispatched a mobile broadcasting unit to Oudlajan for the first time.

Tamasha magazine quoted Khosrovani as stating: “It is not only heritage conservation experts who care about preserving Iranian architecture and urban planning; artists like Faramarz Aslani also contribute by composing poetry and music titled ‘Oudlajan’ and performing voluntarily for the neighborhood’s children.”

These efforts led to the production of a documentary titled Children of Oudlajan, produced by Keyvan Khosrovani and directed by Keyvan Alaeddin, which aired on NIRT on July 3, 1978.

Khosrovani’s Advocacy for Oudlajan’s Youth

In an interview published in Tamasha magazine on July 1, 1978, Khosrovani discussed the redevelopment plans: “We are among the few countries in the world with such rich cultural reserves where historic urban fabrics remain unprotected by legal heritage frameworks.

Bulldozers are deployed continuously to demolish these areas. The justifications remain constant: lack of vehicular access, unsanitary social developments, and urban modernization.”

He added regarding the documentary: “In my recorded interviews with local children and residents for Children of Oudlajan, I regret that these citizens lack formal platforms to express their views, vote, or decide. They view this issue through a deeply human lens that many decision-makers fail to recognize.”

Reflecting on the campaign’s prospects, he concluded: “I do not hold excessive expectations for complete success. I choose to remain hopeful regarding the good intentions of others. But if this effort fails, it will reflect a lack of systemic will, leaving me no choice but to maintain a dignified silence in the face of brutal destruction.”

Khosrovani further brought local children from Oudlajan to the inaugural ceremony of the Niavaran Cultural Center, attended by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, a departure from standard official protocols that drew significant public attention.

Following the 1979 Revolution, redevelopment plans shifted as commercial expansion, altered property uses, and building neglect affected the district. Nevertheless, key sites, including Imamzadeh Yahya, Saraye Kazemi, Oudlajan Bazaar, the Dabir-ol-Molk House, and various Qajar-era structures, remain intact today, preserving a functional element of Tehran’s historical memory.