2,500 year celebration of Iran's monarchy
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The 2,500 year celebration of Iran’s monarchy (Persian جشنهای دوهزار و پانسد ساله شاهنشاهی) consisted of an elaborate set of festivities that took place October 12-16, 1971 on the occasion of the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of the Iranian monarchy by Cyrus the Great. The intent of the celebration was to demonstrate Iran's long and magnificent history and to showcase its contemporary advancements under the administration of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran.
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[edit] Planning
The planning for the event took more than a decade. With the decision to hold the main event at the ancient city Persepolis near Shiraz, the local infrastructure had to be improved including the airport at Shiraz and a highway to Persepolis. While the press and supporting staff would be housed in Shiraz the main festivities were planned for Persepolis that for this occasion would be the site of an elaborate tent city. The area around Persepolis was cleared of snakes and other vermin.[1] Other events were scheduled for Pasargadae, the site of the tomb of Cyrus the Great, and Tehran.
[edit] The Tent City of Persepolis
The Tent City (also Golden City) was planned by the French interior design firm of Jansen on 160 acres that took its inspiration from the 1520 Field of the Cloth of Gold meeting between Francis I of France and Henry VIII of England.[1] Fifty 'tents' (actually prefabricated luxury apartments with traditional Persian tent-cloth surrounds) were arranged in a star pattern around a central fountain, and vast numbers of trees were planted around them in the desert, recreating something of how the ancient Persepolis would have looked. The large Tent of Honor was designed for the reception of the dignitaries. The Banqueting Hall was the largest structure and measured 68 by 24 meters. The tent site was surrounded by gardens of trees and other plants flown in from France and adjacent to the ruins of Persepolis. Catering services were performed by Maxim's de Paris, which closed its restaurant in Paris for almost two weeks in order to provide for the glittering celebrations. Lanvin designed the uniforms of the Imperial Household. 250 red Mercedes-Benz limousines were used to chauffeur guests from airport and back. Dinnerware was created by Limoges.[1]
[edit] Festivities
The festivities were opened on October 12, 1971 when the Shah and the Shahbanu paid homage to Cyrus the Great at his mausoleum at Pasargadae. For the next two days, the Shah and his wife greeted arriving guests often directly at the Shiraz airport. On the evening of the 14th, a grand gala dinner took place in the Banqueting Hall in celebration of the birthday of the Shahbanu. Sixty heads of royalty and heads of state were assembled at the single large serpentine table in the Banqueting Hall, to be served, amongst other things, roast peacock, Iran's ancient national symbol. A son et lumière show and fireworks, accompanied by Iannis Xenakis' specially-commissioned electronic music piece Persepolis[2] concluded the evening. The next day saw a parade of armies of different Iranian empires covering two and half millennia by 1,724 men of the Iranian armed forces, all in period costume. In the evening a less formal “traditional Persian party” was held in the Banqueting Hall as the concluding event at Persepolis.[3]
On the last day the Shah inaugurated the Shahyad Tower (later renamed the Azadi Tower after the Iranian revolution) in Tehran to commemorate the event. The tower was also home to the Museum of Persian History. In it was at display the Cyrus Cylinder considered the first human rights document to espouse freedom of religion. The symbol of this cylinder was also the official symbol of the celebrations, and the Shah's first speech at Cyrus' tomb praised the freedom that it had proclaimed, two and a half millennia previously. The festivities were concluded with the Shah paying homage to his father, Reza Shah Pahlavi, at his mausoleum.[3]
[edit] Security
Security was a major concern. Persepolis was a favorable site for the festivities as it was isolated and thus could be tightly guarded, a very important consideration when many of the world's leaders were gathered there. Iran's security services, SAVAK, took people into preventive custody it suspected to be potential troublemakers[citation needed]. Elizabeth II had been advised not to attend, with security being an issue (Prince Philip and Princess Anne representing her instead).[1] Other major leaders who did not attend were Richard Nixon and Georges Pompidou. Nixon initially planned to attend, but pulled out late due to fears of terrorists attacking the event.[citation needed]
[edit] Critique
In retrospect, the event can be considered the swan song of the Iranian monarchy[citation needed]. Arguably, it was the most notable international social event in the 20th century involving royalty and heads of state. The festivities were criticized by for their lavishness and it was opined that the money could have been better spent by supplying social services. Such critiques were voiced in the western press and by Ayatollah Khomeini and his followers. Expenses were said to be as high as $200 million, while the the Ministry of the Court set placed the cost at $17 million. The actual expense figure may be difficult to tabulate and may remain a partisan issue; Ansari, one of the organizers, puts it at $22 million.[1] The defenders of the activities point out other benefits such as the opening of 3,200 schools, improvement in infrastructure, and the positive effect on Iran's public relations. Further, expenses are contrasted to the significantly higher costs of the memorial to Ayatollah Khomeini.[1] The event was largely discredited after the Iranian Revolution.[4]
[edit] Today
Persepolis remains a major tourist attraction in Iran and apparently there are suggestions to rehabilitate the site of the festivities as they are a proclamation of Iranian history.[4] The rededicated Azadi Tower is a major landmark in Tehran. The mausoleum of Reza Shah Pahlavi was destroyed after the revolution.
[edit] Trivia
The event brought together the rulers of some of the oldest monarchies, the Shah and Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia. By the end of the decade, both monarchies had ceased to exist.
[edit] Quotes
- Orson Welles: "This was no party of the year, it was the celebration of 25 centuries!"[1]
- Ruhollah Khomeini: "Devil's Festival."[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kadivar C (2002-01-25). We are awake.2,500-year celebrations revisited. Retrieved on October 23, 2006.
- ^ Karkowski, J.; Harley & F. Szymanksi et al. (2002), "Liner Notes", Iannis Xenakis: Persepolis + Remixes, San Francisco: Asphodel LTD.
- ^ a b The Persepolis Celebrations. Retrieved on October 23, 2006.
- ^ a b The Guardian (2005-09-22). Iran to Rebuild Spectacular Imperial Tent City at Persepolis. The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies. Retrieved on October 29, 2006.
