Tehran’s famed Masoudieh Mansion is closed until further notice, according to a statement that appeared on the cultural heritage site’s web portal on Saturday evening. The brief statement did not provide any details, but it is believed that the site’s closure may have something to do with a recent controversy involving a film crew that resulted in damage to the historical mansion. The mansion’s deed was transferred to a private company by the Fund for Restoration and Administration of Historical and Cultural Places about five years ago to speed up its restoration and ensure the site received proper care and attention. However, the new owners of the site allowed a film crew to use the mansion as a setting, who reportedly inflicted damage to the site, prompting the fund and its head, Mohammad Reza Pouyandeh, to begin legal proceedings to get the historical house back. The mansion was open to the public ever since the film crew was kicked out, but its sudden closure has caused concern among many. One of the finest buildings of the Qajar era, Masoudieh Mansion in central Tehran (near Baharestan Square) was inscribed on the National Heritage List in January 1998.
