The Shah of Iran's party
Witness History6 Nov 2024

The Shah of Iran's party

In 1971, the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, celebrated 2,500 years of the Persian Empire by throwing a huge three-day party.

Trees were planted, birds imported, and a runway built in the middle of the desert with royalty from across the world attending.

But the event united opposition parties against the Shah and lost him public credibility.

Author and journalist Sally Quinn was “party reporter” for the Washington Post and covered the event.

She speaks to Megan Jones.

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