The largest and first of its kind in the city, it was followed by the creation of 8 similar large complexes and about 50 smaller neighborhood centers.
Opened in 1991 through the efforts of Gholamhossein Karbaschi and other politicians, the Bahman Cultural Center used to be a slaughterhouse in the slums of southern Tehran.
The presence of the slaughterhouse created problems of pollution which spread trash, animal remains, and bad smells into the surrounding areas.
Plagued by such sanitation maladies, the areas surrounding the slaughterhouse become a cesspool of crime, violence, and prostitution.
The Bahman Cultural Center has had a significant impact on the process of social change in Iran.