Iran in Pictures Cultural Heritage Tourism IFP Exclusive

Iran cultural heritage: 200-year-old Marvi Alley in Tehran

Kouche Marvi – Marvi Alley – is one of the oldest passageways in the Iranian capital Tehran. It is a historical alley in Nasser Khosrow street, in southern Tehran, that goes back 200 year ago.

The passage was named after the old owner of the neighborhood, Mohammad Hassan Khan Marvi. Mohammad Hassan Khan was one of the vassals of Qajar era during the rule of Fathali Shah Qajar and bought vast properties in the western part of Oudlajan area of Tehran.

That is where is now known as Kouche Marvi. He built a mosque and a school and named them Marvi Mosque complex and then endowed a nearby garden under a Waqf trust fund. The location was later used to build Marvi High School.

In the past, Arab migrants and Iranians, who formerly lived in Iraq, formed the businessmen of Marvi Marketplace. That is why traces of Arab culture and way of life can be seen in Kouche Marvi and the adjacent areas, even today.

1 of 12