On An ‘Elusive’ Normalisation!
It is often said that at one point in time a lavish party changed the fate of Iran, and the people of the Islamic Republic are yet to overcome the socio-political impact of it!
Iran is popularly known as an orthodox Muslim country in West Asia, where women are severely punished under the Sharia Law if they do not cover their heads with a hijab (a head covering worn in public by some Muslim women). However, the scenario was completely different in the mid-20th Century when the Iranians used to blindly follow the Western culture. The controversial lavish party was also a manifestation of Western imitation. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (October 26, 1919 – July 27, 1980), the last Iranian Monarch, organised the party in 1971. As he was a great fan of Western culture, elite girls were allowed to wear knee-length skirts in Iran during his reign (September 16, 1941 – February 11, 1979). Wearing a hijab, too, was not mandatory. The orthodox Muslims were a bit annoyed with King Shah because of his Western lifestyle. However, they did not dare to stage protests.
The Shah, all on a sudden, decided to organise a party mainly for foreign Monarchs and dignitaries on October 12-16, 1971 to mark the 2,500th Anniversary of the Founding of the Persian Empire in a grand style. He wanted to exhibit the grandeur of the Persian Empire to his guests from home and abroad. The preparations for the party began a year ago. During that time, King Shah used to live in Tehran’s Sa’dabad Complex. This complex was initially built and inhabited by the Qajar Dynasty of monarchs in the 19th Century. After initiating an extensive renovation process, Reza Shah (March 15, 1878 – July 26 1944) of the Pahlavi Dynasty resided there in the 1920s. His son, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, moved to Sa’dabad Complex in the 1970s. Spread over an area of 110 hectares, the Sa’dabad Royal Palace was the most exquisite building in Iran. The palace was surrounded on three sides by a forest spread over 180 hectares of land. However, King Shah decided to organise the party in the desert!
As per the Monarch’s wish, a 30km-long artificial city was built in the heart of the desert. It was popularly known as City of Tents or Golden City, planned by the Parisian interior-design firm of Maison Jansen. From guest quarters to dining rooms and entertainment venues, everything was built within that city over the course of a year. The Monarch ordered to ensure that the guests did not in any way feel that they were outside a modern city. In fact, King Shah had built not only a city, but a temporary palace in the desert. Around 40 trucks and 100 aircraft were required to build the city far away from the capital, and all those vehicles were imported from France.
The Shah invited a total of 65 foreign dignitaries, including Heads of State, members of Royal Families, Presidents, Prime Ministers, ministers and eminent political personalities, to attend the five-day event. Although the guests were accommodated in the makeshift desert city, the Monarch wanted everyone to experience his Royal Palace surrounded by forests. As he used to wake up to the sounds of birds in the Sa’dabad Palace surrounded by greenery, King Shah brought 50,000 birds for his guests. Ultimately, those birds did not turn the desert into a forest, as they, not accustomed to the desert climate at all, perished within days!
While all these activities were going on in the heart of the desert, the common people of Iran were in great difficulty. Many of them did not enjoy meals twice a day, and getting access to purified drinking water was a luxury for them. Meanwhile, 25,000 bottles of wine arrived in the City of Tents and 18 tonnes of food was prepared for guests. King Shah also deployed 180 waiters to serve the guests. While legendary hotelier Max Blouet came out of retirement to supervise the banquet, 250 red Mercedes-Benz 600 limousines were used to chauffeur guests from the airport and back. After enjoying the glittering party for five days, the guests left Iran. Later, the Iranians came to know that the celebrations cost about USD 120 million (according to a BBC documentary)! The orthodox Muslims were already against King Shah, and this lavish party shook the foundation of his rule.
The scenario helped Ayatollah Sayyid Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini (May 17, 1900/September 24, 1902 – June 3, 1989), a Shia cleric critical of King Shah, to gain public support. Under his leadership, the Iranians took part in the Islamic Revolution, forcing King Shah and his family members to flee Iran on January 16, 1979. He went into exile as the last Iranian Monarch. At the end of the year-long revolution (from January 7, 1978 to February 11, 1979), the Islamic Republic of Iran was born. Then, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini established the Islamic Sharia Law throughout the West Asian country, changing the fate of Iran. Had King Shah not organised that Royal Party in 1971, Iran may well have been a different country today.
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Boundless Ocean Of Politics 