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The Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran and Empress Farah were joined by Foreign Royal Guests as they attended the unveiling of the new Shahyad Tower in Tehran on this day in 1971 (50 years ago), to mark the 2500th Anniversary of the Persian Empire. Afterwards, the Shah and Empress saw off many of the Royal Guests at Tehran Airport as the departed Iran marking the end of the lavish festivities called the most expensive party ever held in modern history. Royal attendees in Iran included Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, King Frederik IX and Queen Ingrid of Denmark, King Olav V of Norway, King Constantine II, Queen Anne-Marie and Prince Michael of Greece, King Hussein, Princess Muna, and Princess Basma bint Talal of Jordan, King Mahendra and Queen Ratna of Nepal, King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola of Belgium, the King and Queen of Malaysia, Grand Duke Jean and Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte of Luxembourg, Crown Prince Carl Gustav of Sweden, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco, Prince Franz Joseph and Princess Gina of Liechtenstein, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Anne, Prince Juan Carlos and Princess Sofia of Spain, the Prince and Princess of Naples, the Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan, Prince and Princess Mikasa, Prince Moulay Abdallah and Princess Lamia of Morocco, Prince Bhanubandhu Yugala of Thailand.
2500th Anniversary Banquet | Persian Dinner in Persepolis
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Foreign Royal Guests stayed in a spectacular Tent City in Persepolis during the lavish celebrations of the 2500th Anniversary of the Persian Empire #OnThisDay 50 years ago!
Learn More: https://t.co/a8XEKeK7A2 pic.twitter.com/LyivQhqBwo
— The Royal Watcher (@saadsalman719) October 16, 2021
Foreign Royal Guests stayed in a spectacular Tent City in Persepolis during the lavish celebrations of the 2500th Anniversary of the Persian Empire #OnThisDay 50 years ago!
Learn More: https://t.co/a8XEKeK7A2 pic.twitter.com/LyivQhqBwo
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For the duration of the festivities, the Royal Guests had stayed in a specially constructed Tent City consisting of fifty tents arranged in a star pattern around a central fountain, that allowed the royals to freely interact with each other. The lavish festivities at Persepolis caused much criticism and became one of the leading factors for the abolition of the Iranian Monarchy in less than a decade.
Decadence and Downfall: The Shah of Iran’s Ultimate Party
