Youshij House Loses National Status for Good

The house of Nima Youshij, a late eminent poet, was removed from National Heritage List by a final order of the Administrative Justice Court after lingering debates over its status.

According to Habibollah Tajik Esmaeili, mayor of Tehran's District 1, the renowned poet's house had been purchased by Seyed Mohammad Ali Sharifnia, a regular resident, in 1956, and then was inherited by his descendants.

"Based on a jurisprudential theory of the Guardians Council, buildings that are under private ownership are not governed by cultural heritage regulations, therefore, the Administrative Justice Court voted for its elimination from the list," he said, ISNA reported.

In 2001, when the legal owners decided to demolish the house, which was long believed to be owned by Youshij, a number of literary figures voiced complaint against the plan and suggested that the house is eligible to gain national status. As a result, the house was inscribed on the National Heritage list in the same year on Youshij's sixth death anniversary.

"However, Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization did not purchase the house until the owners finally brought the case to court in 2014," Tajik added. The house was removed from the list in Nov. 2017 following a verdict by the Court of Administrative Justice, due to the absence of any legally valid deed showing the house belonged to the literary personality. The ICHHTO officials made efforts through their lawyers to bring it back to the list but to no avail.

The court's verdict is final and is not entitled to further appeal.

The house is located in the northern Tehran district of Tajrish.