Houshang Moradi Kermani’s Old House Becomes “House of Stories” in Tehran

According to cinemadrame News Agency, Houshang Moradi Kermani’s old house in the Imamzadeh Yahya neighborhood of Tehran, which the author refers to as the birthplace of his character “Majid,” has been transformed into the “House of Stories” (Khaneh-ye Ghesseh) after renovation.

A New Chapter for a Historic House

As reported by ISNA, the 80-year-old house where Houshang Moradi Kermani lived and wrote stories with his wife and three children from the late 1970s to the early 1990s has now become the “House of Stories.” Tehran’s District 12 Municipality purchased the house in November 2020 with the aim of preserving historical sites of value and establishing a cultural complex that would serve as both a library and a children’s story and literature house. However, its doors were then locked, and the house was left neglected, serving for a time as a shelter for local drug addicts. Last year (2024), the municipality put the house up for auction and leased it for 11 years to a historical building restorer.

In October 2024, Behrouz Morbaghi, an architect, manager of Oodlajan’s Ordibehesht House, and restorer of historical buildings, informed ISNA that the house’s doors would be reopened for restoration and revitalization, promising that the renovation work would be completed by the end of the year. The house had suffered significant damage due to its use as a shelter for addicts.

Now, on July 10, 2025 (Tir 20, 1404 Solar Hijri), the doors of this house, located in the narrow alleys of the Imamzadeh Yahya neighborhood in Tehran’s historical fabric, have been opened to the public as the “House of Stories.” Those interested in visiting the house can go to Amin Hozour Intersection, West Abshar Alley, Shahid Hadavand Alley, opposite Badr Elementary School, at the end of Shiraziha Alley, former No. 27.

Moradi Kermani’s Connection to the House

Moradi Kermani himself has said about the house: “The essence of my writing is in this house. I got married here and had children. 80% of my works were done in this house, and ‘Majid’s Stories‘ (Ghessehaye Majid), the most famous of them, were written here. I have a cousin who says this house is Majid’s birthplace. Majid was born and grew up here, for radio, for books, and then for television.”

Houshang Moradi Kermani, who was present at the inauguration ceremony on Friday (July 10) after a period of illness, told ISNA: “The house has turned out very well. It received a good welcome. In recent years, the house had become a place for addicts and was dirty, but now it has become a place where audiences, in that relatively deprived neighborhood, can be present as a cultural venue.”

Moradi Kermani’s commendations and awards are being kept in this house on a trust basis.