2,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire

Celebration of the 2,500th Anniversary of the Founding of the Persian Empire
The Cyrus Cylinder, which was framed by the Iranian king Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as the event's official logo, owing to his claim that it was the "first charter of human rights" in history.
Persepolis
Location of Persepolis, which was the ceremonial capital city of the Achaemenid Empire, and which therefore served as the event's primary venue.
Native name جشن‌های ۲۵۰۰ ساله شاهنشاهی ایران
Date12–16 October 1971 (1971-10-12 – 1971-10-16)
Location Imperial State of Iran
Coordinates29°56′04″N 52°53′29″E / 29.93444°N 52.89139°E / 29.93444; 52.89139
Also known as2,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire
MotiveHonouring the legacy of ancient Iran under the Achaemenid dynasty and showcasing the progress of modern Iran under the Pahlavi dynasty

The 2,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire,[1] officially known as the 2,500-year celebration of the Empire of Iran (Persian: جشن‌های ۲۵۰۰ ساله شاهنشاهی ایران, romanized: Jašn-hây-e 2500 sale’ šâhanšâhi Irân), was hosted by the Pahlavi dynasty in the Imperial State of Iran in October 1971. Concentrated at Persepolis, it consisted of an elaborate set of grand festivities that sought to honour the legacy of the Achaemenid Empire, which was founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC.[2][3] The event was aimed at highlighting ancient Iranian history and also showcasing the country's contemporary advances under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who had been reigning as the Shah of Iran since 1941.[4][5] The site brought sixty members of royalty and heads of state from abroad.[6]

Some historians take the view that its role in massive display of seemingly unlimited royal wealth contributed to the Iranian populace's growing frustration with the Pahlavi dynasty, while others argue that the extravagance of the proceedings was exaggerated during the Islamic Revolution to discredit the Shah's regime.[5] As a result, some accounts have overstated the event's costs and luxuries.

  1. ^ "Celebration of the 2,500th Anniversary of the Founding of the Persian Empire". Ministry of Information. 14 September 1971. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  2. ^ Amuzegar, The Dynamics of the Iranian Revolution, (1991), pp. 4, 9–12
  3. ^ Narrative of Awakening : A Look at Imam Khomeini's Ideal, Scientific and Political Biography from Birth to Ascension by Hamid Ansari, Institute for Compilation and Publication of the Works of Imam Khomeini, International Affairs Division, [no date], p. 163
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference spiegel2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Steele, Robert. The Shah's Imperial Celebrations of 1971 AD.
  6. ^ "2,500 year celebration of the Persian Empire". The Pahlavi Dynasty. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.