TEHRAN – Any move to split or transform premises of the nostalgic Cafe Naderi, an erstwhile hangout for intellectuals and literati in downtown Tehran, has been thwarted.

Late last week, unendorsed stories circled at social media networks, noting its landowner is about to divide the cafe’s garden by erecting a wall.

Form early hours of Thursday, patrols from District 12 as well as protection unit of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization scouted around the historical site, ISNA reported.

On the same day, Rajabali Khosroabadi, Tehran province’s CHTHO director, paid a visit to the cafe to make sure no damage has been caused, the report said.

“I talked to the owner’s representative by phone while visiting the cafe, warning any tampering is legally prohibited and any conservation plans should be carried out under the CHTHO supervision,” Khosroabadi added.

A national cultural heritage site, the cafe is situated on the ground floor of the Hotel Naderi on Jomhouri St.

Khachik Madikians, an Armenian immigrant, opened the café in 1927, it soon became a bustling rendezvous of the literary and intellectual elites.

AFM/MQ/MG

PHOTO: An interior view of Cafe Naderi in downtown Tehran