Students who are accepted to a university far away from their city and family, having the enthusiasm and energy of youth and facing new situations, need a safe and comfortable place to spend this period of their lives without concern. The dormitory of Zoroastrian boys, which was founded 60 years ago with the benevolent donation of Khodarahm Davari Yazdi, and renovated with funds provided by Soroush Keshavarzian, provides accommodation facilities for Zoroastrian students who come to Tehran.
Somewhere in the center of Tehran, on Vali Asr Street towards Bozorgmehr Street, and is a house that old students fondly remember. They made new friends, and by living together with other students, in this student house, built a sense of responsibility. The late Khodarahm Davari Yazdi dedicated this house in order to create a suitable place with a safe environment for Zoroastrian students and enable them to cope more easily with being away from home and family and do their studies and plan for their future with peace of mind. The late Khodarahm Davari bought the land of that house with an area of nearly 150 square meters in 1318 (1939), and in the same years, he built a 230 square meter adobe building for himself. In the summer of 1341 (1962), he sold this property to Tehran Zoroastrians Association for one Rial. The deal was that this house was transferred to Tehran Zoroastrian Association as a charity institute with the name “Khaneh Khodarahm”, to be used exclusively for needy students and for Zoroastrian orphans. The same year, Zoroastrian students who came to Tehran from other cities to study settled in this house and spent their student days there. In the first decade of establishing this dormitory, managed under the supervision of the Zoroastrian Association, 5 to 10 students lived there simultaneously.
According to the Tehran Zoroastrian Association, the beginning of the 1360s with the increase in the country’s student population and the subsequent increase in the number of Zoroastrian students who wanted to live in this dormitory, and on the one hand, due to the old age and wear and tear of the dormitory building, discussions began to rebuild the dormitory. Due to its increasing doubts regarding strength of the structure, in 1367 (1986), as a first step, Tehran Zoroastrian Association equipped and prepared the current location of the Zoroastrian nursing home on one of the floors of the residential property of late Homayoun Abadian in Qarani Street, and the students were transferred there.
From that year plans for renovation o Khodarahm House began. Lack of funds delayed the reconstruction work for many years. Finally, after securing the first part of the funds required for constructing the new building, construction permit was obtained in 1375 (1996). By the end of 1377 (1998) demolition of the dilapidated structure began. Renewal of construction was slow; the main reason being the Association’s financial limitations. In that situation, like always, this time also charitable hands came to the rescue. In the summer of 2019, Soroush Keshavrzan, the retired secretary of education in Tehran, offered thirty million Tomans of his savings in the name of himself, their father, Adarbad Dinyar Keshavarzan, and their mother, Banoo Bahram Keshavarzian, to the Association for completion of renovation of Khodarahm House. It was then that construction operations were accelerated, and finally, in the fall of 1382 (2003), the contractor announced the completion of the renovation work to the association. In this project, engineer Jamshid Foroughi did the design stage of architectural drawings, and engineer Dally Bondar supervised the building for free and honorably.
The new building, measuring 340 sqm, including residence and shared areas for Zoroastrian students, was inaugurated. This house is built on four floors, each with four rooms and two double beds in each room. Each separate house has a bathroom and toilet, a kitchen equipped with a refrigerator, and gas. Two washing machines are also placed on the floor.
Since that year Zoroastrian students have been residing in this building which now has more capacity; usually between 10 and 16 students, living together in this house. In all these years, until the summer of 1401 (2022), Parviz Izadi has been with the students as a resident supervisor.
Right now, about 20 students and fellow Zoroastrians are living in the student house for boys (Khaneh Khodarahm). Those Zoroastrians who come to Tehran and want to stay in this house should fill out the application form at the Tehran Zoroastrian Association secretariat. If they meet the conditions, they can stay in the student dormitory for boys. Some of the documents needed when applying are or the student’s continuing education certificate. Also, the student’s birth certificate and father’s identification card or membership of one of the Zoroastrian associations and introduction of a person as a guarantor are other requirements.
Knowing the history of such remarkable and valuable places, funded by the efforts of benevolent and foresighted men and women, reminds us that we should try to maintain and improve these donated places and should also play a role in the advancement of knowledge and culture of the future builders of our society. The picture of the Zoroastrian students’ house that you can see below was taken in the last days of 1401 (2022):
Photos by Homayoun Mehrzad
