Decadence and Downfall: The Shah of Iran’s Ultimate Party

Last week the BBC aired a documentary about the celebrations in Persepolis in 1971, where the ‘King of King’s’ Shah Mohammad Reza of Iran celebrated 2500th anniversary of the Persian Empire. Central question in the documentary is if the grandiose celebrations hastened the downfall of the Imperial regime and the start of the Iranian revolution.

The celebrations were described as ‘the biggest party the world has ever seen’. Ayatollah Khomenei branded it the ‘Devil’s Festival’. Sixty-nine heads of states attended the celebrations, among them a lot of royals from all over the world. The total costs of the festivities are now estimated around $ 200 million.

The documentary on youtube:

The documentary of the BBC can also be found here.

A Dutch adaptation of the same documentary here.

Filed under Iran
Tagged Documentary, Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran, House of Pahlavi, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran.