This research presents the role of religious places as public spaces in Iran. It attempts to examine them in the context of social and urban tourism processes related to historical parts of Tehran, in different time periods. It is well-known that religious public spaces considered as pilgrimage sites and are often regarded as “pioneers” in the process of the heritagization of spaces in Iran. It is thus relevant to analyze the role of religious places as a “restrictive factor” in the patronization of public spaces. Through the decades, the urban texture in different parts of the city has changed; however, these changes are mostly seen in institutional rather than residential areas. The old houses in theses religious neighbourhoods are still used somehow as places of worship. This study shows that the role of pilgrimage and local community in different neighbourhoods has both positive and negative effects on the spectacularization of urban heritage.