Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of iHeartRadio and Grimm
Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky listener Discretion advised. January in
Speaker 1: Tehran can get pretty chilly, so it's no surprise that
Speaker 1: people often forsake the city for warmer locales, and on
Speaker 1: January sixteenth, nineteen seventy nine, that's exactly what the sha
Speaker 1: claimed to be doing, leaving the capital of Iran for
Speaker 1: a quote extended vacation. It wasn't publicly known yet, but
Speaker 1: the Shaw had recently been receiving treatment for leukemia, and
Speaker 1: this trip to Egypt and then the United States was
Speaker 1: ostensibly to receive further treatment and recuperate. But even people
Speaker 1: in the know understood that there was more to the
Speaker 1: Shah's instinct to leave the country. It wasn't frigid temperatures
Speaker 1: or just the desire for medical treatment that drove the
Speaker 1: Shah of Iran, Muhammad Riza pat Levie to board a
Speaker 1: plane headed for Egypt. The real reason the Shah needed
Speaker 1: to get away was because of the monumental protests calling
Speaker 1: for his downfall that had reached a boiling point in
Speaker 1: his forty years on the throne. The Shah had survived
Speaker 1: turmoil before, and despite appearing to flee in the face
Speaker 1: of this unrest, he assumed that this time would be
Speaker 1: no different. In nineteen fifty three, the Shah had fled
Speaker 1: the country after a botched coup to topple the then
Speaker 1: prime minister, a coup which he, the Shah, had tacitly supported,
Speaker 1: But once the pro shah Us government and the staunchly
Speaker 1: loyal Iranian military stepped in, the Shah was able to
Speaker 1: return to the country, even more determined to maintain his
Speaker 1: hold on power and so oh. As he got on
Speaker 1: the plane in January of nineteen seventy nine, he knew
Speaker 1: it was possible that he might need to be out
Speaker 1: of the country for a year or two, but he
Speaker 1: assumed that eventually he would return, only more popular and
Speaker 1: more supported than ever. After all, the Iranian monarchy was
Speaker 1: over two thousand and five hundred years old. It could
Speaker 1: survive another round of protests, but by the start of
Speaker 1: nineteen seventy nine the protests were particularly fierce. It had
Speaker 1: been a year and two days since the first wave
Speaker 1: of unrest in this bout of turmoil unfolded in that year,
Speaker 1: since the demonstrations which called for a representative government free
Speaker 1: of corruption only grew in size and ferocity. What started
Speaker 1: out as a protest championed by outspoken anti Shah activists
Speaker 1: turned into a bloody nationwide clash between the general public
Speaker 1: and the military loyal to the Shah. By January nineteen
Speaker 1: seventy nine, over eleven percent of the country was actively
Speaker 1: participating in anti regime protests. Compare that to the estimated
Speaker 1: number of roughly seven percent of citizens who were actively
Speaker 1: participating during the French Revolution. No wonder the Shah was
Speaker 1: feeling the heat. As the Shah and his wife, Queen Farah,
Speaker 1: stepped out of their car and walked toward their private plane,
Speaker 1: the two royal guards standing on the tarmac fell to
Speaker 1: their knees, crying. They attempted to kiss the Shah's feet
Speaker 1: in reverence, only for him to urge them back up
Speaker 1: to their own feet. Once standing, the guards held the
Speaker 1: Koran in the air above the royal couple's heads as
Speaker 1: they walked underneath and up the plane stairs. This traditional
Speaker 1: Muslim ritual is meant to insure one's safety on a
Speaker 1: difficult journey. It's probable that the guards understood that this
Speaker 1: trip was not a regular vacation, and that the Shah
Speaker 1: would need all the support he could get in order
Speaker 1: to remain not just in power, but alive. Once boarded,
Speaker 1: the Shah sat down in the cockpit of his plane
Speaker 1: and turned on its engines. Perhaps in an attempt to
Speaker 1: maintain control in the face of an uncertain future, the
Speaker 1: Shah had decided to pilot his own plane for at
Speaker 1: least take off and the first hour of the journey.
Speaker 1: The Shah turned his plane on and for a moment,
Speaker 1: as the rumble of the engines filled the cockpit, he
Speaker 1: could forget the sound of his people calling for his downfall.
Speaker 1: The Shaw concentrated on the tarmac ahead as he moved
Speaker 1: the plane to the runway, cleted and lifted up. As
Speaker 1: the plane soared into the sky, the Shah looked down
Speaker 1: on Tehran and its surrounding areas. Even though no one
Speaker 1: could see him, he attempted to maintain a steely disposition
Speaker 1: while tears rolled down his cheeks. Despite all of the stress, sadness, anger, frustration,
Speaker 1: and pure exhaustion of the past year, the Shah had
Speaker 1: had no idea that this would be the last time
Speaker 1: he would ever see his country. But as his plane
Speaker 1: flew westward. Not only did the symbolic quote peacock throne
Speaker 1: from which the Shah had reigned crumbled in the face
Speaker 1: of the Iranian Revolution, but so too did the centuries
Speaker 1: old monarchical tradition in Iran. With his departure, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi,
Speaker 1: the quote king of Kings, light of the Aryans, center
Speaker 1: of the universe, shadow of the Almighty could add a
Speaker 1: new name to that impressive list of titles, the last
Speaker 1: Shah of Iran. I'm Danish Schwartz and this is noble blood. Now,
Speaker 1: before we dive into the Shah's life, I think it's
Speaker 1: worth clarifying how I'll be referring to him throughout the episode.
Speaker 1: Mohammad Resah Shah had many names throughout his life. When
Speaker 1: he was born in nineteen nineteen, he was named Mohammad
Speaker 1: Resa with no surname. When his father usurped the throne
Speaker 1: in nineteen twenty one, his father adopted the surname pot
Speaker 1: la Vie, which is also the name of the pre
Speaker 1: Islamic language in Iran. Once king himself, the Shah became
Speaker 1: known as Mohammad Reza Shah. And so for this story's sake,
Speaker 1: I'll be referring to him either as the Shah or
Speaker 1: Muhammad Resa Shah. Mohammad Reza Shah was born a commoner,
Speaker 1: but by his twenty second birthday he was the Shah
Speaker 1: of Iran and second Shah of the Paula Vis dynasty.
Speaker 1: He ultimately ruled Iran for almost forty years, a period
Speaker 1: during which the nation underwent dramatic cultural changes and grew
Speaker 1: in power, going from essentially a colony of England and
Speaker 1: Russia to one of the most powerful nations in the
Speaker 1: Middle East. Mohammad Reza Shah would contend that he was
Speaker 1: to thank for this growth. In striving to build uote
Speaker 1: the Great Civilization, the Shah undertook a series of modernizing
Speaker 1: reforms that he labeled the White Revolution. These wide ranging
Speaker 1: reforms included land reform programs that dismantled the country's semi
Speaker 1: feudal system of land management, equal rights for women, nationalization
Speaker 1: of forests, and water and literacy corps. Many of these
Speaker 1: programs were not successful due to either administrative ineptitude or
Speaker 1: poor public perception, but the country did still modernize in
Speaker 1: many ways. If you're wondering where Iran would have gotten
Speaker 1: the money to make these menu reforms. The answer is,
Speaker 1: perhaps unsurprisingly oil. In the nineteen fifties, Iran nationalized oil
Speaker 1: and brought millions of dollars into the treasury. Iran appeared
Speaker 1: to be on the up and up, which the Sha
Speaker 1: attributed to his brilliant leadership and stewardship of his country.
Speaker 1: When the two thousand, five hundredth anniversary of the Persian
Speaker 1: monarchy ruled around, the Shah used that opportunity to celebrate
Speaker 1: Iran himself and all that he felt he had done
Speaker 1: for the country with an extravagant week long affair in
Speaker 1: nineteen seventy one. The party took place at the ancient
Speaker 1: ruins of Persepolis, located in the arid landscape of southern Iran.
Speaker 1: Persepolis had been the capital of Cyrus the Great's empire.
Speaker 1: If the Shah was looking to celebrate Iran's millennium spanning history,
Speaker 1: there was no better place to emphasize just how old
Speaker 1: Iran and its monarchy were. The guests for this festive
Speaker 1: occasion were notable in and of themselves. The Shah invited
Speaker 1: heads of government and state from across the globe, including
Speaker 1: then US President Richard Nixon, Queen Elizabeth of England, Princess
Speaker 1: Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco, as well as Soviet
Speaker 1: President Nikolai Podgourney. Not all of those people attended, specifically
Speaker 1: Richard Nixon and Queen Elizabeth, who passed but sent lesser
Speaker 1: figures in their stead, Spiro Agnew, the Vice President of
Speaker 1: the United States, and Prince Philip sspectively. In all, sixty
Speaker 1: nine countries sent representatives to the festivities for the Shaw.
Speaker 1: There was a lot riding on this event. With all
Speaker 1: the world's eyes on Persepolis, the Shaw was eager to
Speaker 1: demonstrate just how strong and prosperous Iran had become, and
Speaker 1: he certainly delivered, sparing no expense and racking up a
Speaker 1: bill so big that even today people still debate just
Speaker 1: how expensive the whole thing was. Robert Steele, in his
Speaker 1: book on this bimillennial celebration, states that while landing on
Speaker 1: an exact number is difficult, we can tentatively estimate that
Speaker 1: the Shaw spent around sixteen point eight million dollars on
Speaker 1: the event, which would be equivalent to just over one
Speaker 1: hundred and twenty eight million dollars in today's money. Among
Speaker 1: the week's activities were a par raid, a fireworks show,
Speaker 1: and the most well known part of the celebration, a
Speaker 1: dinner party for all of the guests that was so
Speaker 1: elaborate it became infamous. The dinner, which was five hours
Speaker 1: and featured six courses, took place under a massive tent.
Speaker 1: Each dish was an elaborate, decadent creation, with a menu
Speaker 1: featuring roasted peacock, quail, eggs, saddles of lamb, golden caviar,
Speaker 1: and dom perignon. Of the six courses, only one ingredient
Speaker 1: was actually from Iran caviar during the first course. Everything
Speaker 1: else was flown in from Maxims in Paris, and it
Speaker 1: wasn't just the food that was imported. Basically everything the
Speaker 1: Shah needed for the entire week's festivities was brought in
Speaker 1: from Europe, including the weight staff. Even at the time,
Speaker 1: the dinner party wasn't particularly well received. The lavish of
Speaker 1: the event appeared too many to be in poor taste,
Speaker 1: given that so many Iranians were still in poverty. Sure,
Speaker 1: the Shah might have previously put time, money, and energy
Speaker 1: into developing Iran, but those investments hadn't necessarily resulted in
Speaker 1: material improvements in the lives of ordinary Iranian people. And
Speaker 1: so it wasn't a great look for him to be
Speaker 1: spending money on French champagne and a thirty three kilogram
Speaker 1: birthday cake for his wife, Not to mention, because they
Speaker 1: had imported almost everything for the event, they were sending
Speaker 1: all of that money abroad instead of investing it domestically.
Speaker 1: Iranians who were struggling saw the message plainly, the Shah
Speaker 1: would spend lavishly on himself and on dignitaries that he
Speaker 1: wanted to impress, but not on them. Given that criticism,
Speaker 1: it's not surprising that nowadays a common narrative about the
Speaker 1: cell and the dinner specifically is that it was the
Speaker 1: catalyst for the Iranian Revolution or the protest movement which
Speaker 1: would ultimately oust the Shah. A twenty sixteen article in
Speaker 1: the British tabloid The Daily Mail went so far as
Speaker 1: to say, quote the great iron knee is that the
Speaker 1: Shaw's feast was supposed to reinforce the throne it ultimately toppled.
Speaker 1: That narrative is an oversimplification of the forces behind the
Speaker 1: Iranian revolution, and bad as the optics were. To put it. Frankly,
Speaker 1: one dinner party did not cause the Shah to fall
Speaker 1: Even though Iranian did not perceive the event positively, it
Speaker 1: wasn't the sole foundation on which the later revolution developed.
Speaker 1: That being said, the event is an incredibly useful tool
Speaker 1: in understanding many of the factors which did lead to
Speaker 1: the Iranian Revolution and the Shaw's ultimate dethroning, namely his
Speaker 1: opulent spending practices, his desire to court the West, and
Speaker 1: his growing detachment from reality. You might recall that I
Speaker 1: mentioned in passing in the introduction that Muhammad Razash Shah
Speaker 1: ruled from a peacock throne. The peacock throne wasn't a
Speaker 1: literal object, but a common metaphor to describe just how
Speaker 1: ostentatious the Shah was. He and his three wives had
Speaker 1: a habit of buying expensive cars, boats, planes, art, jewelry,
Speaker 1: and artifacts. The extremely lavish nature of the two thousand,
Speaker 1: five hundredth anniversary celebration was completely on brand for the
Speaker 1: lifestyle that the Shah and his household led. But an
Speaker 1: important thing to bear in mind is that the money
Speaker 1: that the Shah was spending on luxury goods and palace
Speaker 1: renovations wasn't entirely his own. The line between the Shah's
Speaker 1: money and the country's treasury gradually blurred to the point
Speaker 1: where it was hard to deny that the Shaw was
Speaker 1: using the country's oil money to fund his lavish lifestyle.
Speaker 1: And even when he did spend the country's money on
Speaker 1: things for Iran, he did so according to his whims.
Speaker 1: For example, he was obsessed with the military, and so
Speaker 1: he ended up spending a higher percentage of the country's
Speaker 1: GDP on the military than any other country in the
Speaker 1: world aside from the US. None of that was looked
Speaker 1: upon kindly by the Iranian public, many of whom were
Speaker 1: still living in poverty. The Shah also idolized the West,
Speaker 1: almost to a fault. Recall that just about everything at
Speaker 1: the two thousand, five hundredth anniversary celebration dinner was imported
Speaker 1: from France. That exemplifies just how much value the shop
Speaker 1: placed on Western, specifically European tastes. He essentially used the
Speaker 1: West as the benchmark against which he measured himself and
Speaker 1: the country. He strove to make Iran equivalent in quality
Speaker 1: of life to European countries, and quite literally fashioned himself
Speaker 1: like a European monarch, wearing Western military regalia in all
Speaker 1: of his formal portraits in a country with a long
Speaker 1: Muslim tradition and a history of being abused and overlooked
Speaker 1: by the West, and a country with a deep sense
Speaker 1: of national pride. His outlook was not widely appreciated, But
Speaker 1: perhaps the quality that most Iranians took issue with was
Speaker 1: that despite the progressive measures that the Sha championed during
Speaker 1: the White Revolution, the Shah was an authoritarian ruler. During
Speaker 1: his reign, he consistently stripped the Iranian people of the
Speaker 1: right to exercise their political freedoms. For example, people can
Speaker 1: not express anything but positive feelings about the Shah. In
Speaker 1: nineteen fifty seven, in order to enforce that rule and
Speaker 1: generally maintain control over the population, the Shah created a
Speaker 1: secret police force called Savakh. For two decades, Savak agents
Speaker 1: instilled fear in society, as they had the authority to arrest,
Speaker 1: in prison, and torture anyone who supposedly posed a threat
Speaker 1: to the monarchy or the Shah's agenda. Eventually, the Sha
Speaker 1: went so far as to abolish political parties in favor
Speaker 1: of his new party, the National Resurgence Party, and he
Speaker 1: directed that all Iranians, lest they wanted to be labeled traders,
Speaker 1: must join There's no doubt about it. The Shah was
Speaker 1: an autocrat. In nineteen seventy four, the Shah was diagnosed
Speaker 1: with leukemia. Like many authoritarians, the Shah saw his power
Speaker 1: dependent on not looking weak or replaceable, and so the
Speaker 1: Shah kept his diagnosis highly classified. Very few high ranking
Speaker 1: officials in the government, let alone the general public, knew
Speaker 1: of the Shah's diagnosis. By nineteen seventy eight, the Shah
Speaker 1: started to become affected by the brutal nature of his
Speaker 1: cancer and his treatments. While he had always been an
Speaker 1: indecisive man, because of the illness and treatments, his mood
Speaker 1: and opinions would violently swing from one extreme to the
Speaker 1: other within a day. This wouldn't necessarily be a problem,
Speaker 1: but because of the Shah's need to maintain complete control,
Speaker 1: the Iranian government hinged on his word and his word alone.
Speaker 1: So not only was the government at the mercy of
Speaker 1: the Shah's ever changing mood, but the country was now
Speaker 1: being entirely led by a violent, weakened king who was
Speaker 1: increasingly detached from reality. While there were many periods of
Speaker 1: unrest during the Shah's rule, the beginning of what became
Speaker 1: the Iranian revolution came in early nineteen seventy eight when
Speaker 1: the people of Iran took to the straits to protest
Speaker 1: a newspaper article published in the unofficial state newspaper. The
Speaker 1: article hurled a slew of insults at a dissident Ayatola
Speaker 1: named Rujala Romeni, which was a thinly veiled attempt by
Speaker 1: the Shah to undermine Chromeni's popularity. Protesters were accustomed to
Speaker 1: the Shah's controlling regime, but they could not stand idly
Speaker 1: by as he attacked one of their most outspoken advocates
Speaker 1: for their freedom. During the protests over this news article,
Speaker 1: the SHA's security forces fired on protesters. In Shia Islam,
Speaker 1: the majority religion in Iran, memorial services are held forty
Speaker 1: days after someone dies, and so forty days after this
Speaker 1: first protest, Iranian took to the streets again to mourn
Speaker 1: their lost loved ones and further the protest against the regime.
Speaker 1: Again directed to do so by the Shah, his security
Speaker 1: forces fired on and killed protesters, which led to another
Speaker 1: round of protests forty days later. This forty day cycle
Speaker 1: kept the protest movement alive and in fact grew it
Speaker 1: while only making the Shah and his brutality more apparent.
Speaker 1: The Shah could not comprehend how his people could be
Speaker 1: so ungrateful for all of the good he had accomplished,
Speaker 1: how prosperous their country was becoming. In reality, despite any
Speaker 1: of the public works the Shah had achieved, he had
Speaker 1: also purged his government and court of anyone who might
Speaker 1: have been able to offer a true representation of the
Speaker 1: will of the general public. There was no one who
Speaker 1: would tell the Shah that, in fact, much of the
Speaker 1: Iranian population was deeply upset with his lavish spending, with
Speaker 1: his government's corruption, with the government's ineptitude, and the lack
Speaker 1: of political freedoms they had. The Shah just thought these
Speaker 1: protesters were Islamic Marxists supported by foreign agents looking to
Speaker 1: rile up the country, and so he urged his forces
Speaker 1: to crack down, continuing the cycle of deadly protests of
Speaker 1: brutality toward the people the Shah claimed to love. After
Speaker 1: a helicopter ride over one of the massive protests in Tehran,
Speaker 1: when the Shah was able to see the hordes of
Speaker 1: people who had come out against him, the shaw seemed
Speaker 1: to come to his senses. He started to offer concessions
Speaker 1: like releasing political prisoners who had been arrested by Savak,
Speaker 1: but it was too late. His brutality had offered kindling
Speaker 1: to the most extreme factions of his dissidents. Revolution was
Speaker 1: snowballing and had picked up too much energy and manpower
Speaker 1: to stop. Protests continued with a renewed fervor to topple
Speaker 1: the Shah. The Shah's foreign allies, particularly those in the US,
Speaker 1: saw the writing on the wall, and began to urge
Speaker 1: him to leave the country. As nineteen seventy eight turned
Speaker 1: to nineteen seventy nine, the Shah saw fewer and fewer
Speaker 1: viable paths ahead. Despite this, and even as he ordered
Speaker 1: his staff to begin packing up his belongings, the Shah
Speaker 1: could not have fathomed that this unrest would be capable
Speaker 1: of dismantling two thousand, five hundred years of monarchy. Muhammad
Speaker 1: Rezashah left Iran on January sixteenth, nineteen seventy nine, and
Speaker 1: never returned. As news of his departure broke, the streets
Speaker 1: of Iran became the scene of a massive party. Hordes
Speaker 1: of people flooded to the streets to celebrate, cheering the
Speaker 1: Shah is gone. Forever. People drove around aimlessly blasting music,
Speaker 1: honking their horns. Others handed out candy to passers by.
Speaker 1: A few days later, Ayatola Ruhala Homeni returned to Iran
Speaker 1: after fourteen years in exile, and he began consolidating power
Speaker 1: in the vacuum that the Shah had left. His return
Speaker 1: marks the beginning of the government that he created, the
Speaker 1: Islamic Republic of Iran, which still controls Iran today with
Speaker 1: its own deep, deep problems with corruption and violent oppression.
Speaker 1: But this is not the story of Ayatola Komani. This
Speaker 1: is the story of the Shah. After leaving Iran, the
Speaker 1: Shah was shunted from country to country as fewer and
Speaker 1: fewer people were willing to be responsible for an unpopular,
Speaker 1: ousted monarch. He first arrived in Egypt, where he received
Speaker 1: a royal welcome, complete with honor guards and the welcoming
Speaker 1: arms of longtime friend Anwar al Sadat. After a short
Speaker 1: time in Egypt, which was the home of his first wife,
Speaker 1: he was sent to Morocco, expecting a similarly royal reception.
Speaker 1: In Morocco, the Shah was immediately disappointed by a lackluster
Speaker 1: greeting from King Hassan the Second. From Morocco, the Sha
Speaker 1: traveled to the Bahamas and then Mexico. He had gone
Speaker 1: from being treated like a precious crown jewel to being
Speaker 1: tossed around like a hand grenade ready to blow. He
Speaker 1: certainly did not appreciate the change. He believed himself to
Speaker 1: still be royal and expected appropriate treatment. Unfortunately, however, like
Speaker 1: any ousted monarch, the Shah didn't have the luxury to
Speaker 1: reject what he was given. During this time, the Shaw's
Speaker 1: health deteriorated quickly. Very few people knew of the Shah's
Speaker 1: true diagnosis, so upon his arrival to Mexico, doctors actually
Speaker 1: started treating him for malaria without proper cancer treatment. The
Speaker 1: Shah lost thirty pounds. People close to the monarch described
Speaker 1: his appearance as emaciated and jaundiced. Soon it was obvious
Speaker 1: he needed surgery, and he would only get adequate medical
Speaker 1: treatment in the United States, But the Shah had soured
Speaker 1: on his previous ally, and for good reason. The United
Speaker 1: States had originally declared that they would accept the exiled king,
Speaker 1: and the Shah was slated to fly to the United
Speaker 1: States after leaving around for Egypt, but US President Jimmy
Speaker 1: Carter reneged on the deal after Ayatolhomeni threatened to storm
Speaker 1: the US embassy should the Shah enter the United States
Speaker 1: due to the shah worsening cancer condition. However, Carter was
Speaker 1: convinced to accept the Sha into the United States in
Speaker 1: October nineteen seventy nine, nine months after the Shaw's exile began,
Speaker 1: and so the Sha and his entourage flew from Mexico
Speaker 1: to New York and were secreted away to a hospital
Speaker 1: room at New York Hospital. The humanitarian act by the
Speaker 1: United States would prove disastrous, as Iranian students would soon
Speaker 1: storm the US embassy in Tehran and hold embassy officials
Speaker 1: hostage in response to the Shah being accepted into America.
Speaker 1: Because the Shaw's arrival had resulted in an active hostage situation,
Speaker 1: the shaws stay in the United States was uncomfortable beyond
Speaker 1: the medical After only one month in the United States,
Speaker 1: he made it known that he would like to return
Speaker 1: back to Mexico. However, his former host no La no
Speaker 1: longer wished to extend their hospitality to him, and the
Speaker 1: Shah was instead forced to go to Panama, where he
Speaker 1: resided for a short time before going back to Egypt.
Speaker 1: When he landed in Egypt, the Shah was said to
Speaker 1: have teared up at the site of anwar al Sadat
Speaker 1: and military guards waiting to welcome him. Since he had
Speaker 1: fled his home country almost two years prior, Egypt had
Speaker 1: been the only place that welcomed him with the dignity
Speaker 1: that he felt he deserved. Once in Egypt, it became
Speaker 1: clear that the Shah's end was near. An operation revealed
Speaker 1: that his cancer had spread throughout his body. It was
Speaker 1: only a matter of time. On July twenty seventh, nineteen eighty,
Speaker 1: Muhammad Reza Potleve passed away, leaving his dreams of returning
Speaker 1: to Iran one day and continuing the multi millennium tradition
Speaker 1: of the monarchy unfulfilled. That's the story of the last
Speaker 1: Shah of Iran. But keep listening after a brief sponsor
Speaker 1: break to hear a little bit more about that wild
Speaker 1: last party that he threw. One of the most popular
Speaker 1: anecdotes used to illustrate the unnecessary opulence of the anniversary
Speaker 1: party the Shah through is that the Shah bought fifty
Speaker 1: thousand exotic birds for the celebration, only to leave them
Speaker 1: to die once the dignitaries returned home. There's actually no
Speaker 1: evidence to indicate that this relatively famous act of animal
Speaker 1: cruelty actually happened. But there are so many other true,
Speaker 1: fascinating historical tidbits related to that two thousand, five hundredth
Speaker 1: anniversary celebration at Persepolis. Being that the construction of Persepolis
Speaker 1: predated air travel, it's not surprising for you to hear
Speaker 1: that there was no airport at Persepolis for dignitaries to
Speaker 1: fly into for the event. As such, guests made their
Speaker 1: way to the event in a myriad of ways. US
Speaker 1: of Vice President Spiro Agnew, for instant flew in from
Speaker 1: the Shiraz airport in a helicopter. That fact irked some
Speaker 1: Persian Gulf sheikhs, however, because they had to travel the
Speaker 1: thirty miles in air conditioned Mercedes limousines, an incredibly tough ride.
Speaker 1: I'm sure. The parade during the celebrations featured droves of
Speaker 1: men representing different eras of Persian civilization, from Cyrus the
Speaker 1: Great to the Sasanians to Parthians, Safavids all the way
Speaker 1: to Cossack brigades of the early twentieth century. This last
Speaker 1: group paid tribute to Muhammad Rezashah's father, who himself was
Speaker 1: a Cossack before his successful rise to power. There was
Speaker 1: also a true two hundred men strong representing the Acamenians,
Speaker 1: and these men were given a strict directive in the
Speaker 1: months leading up to the parade no shaving. In order
Speaker 1: to accurately represent the styling of Achaemenian soldiers, these men
Speaker 1: would have to grow long beards. The Shah and the
Speaker 1: planning committee were so committed to authenticity that they turned
Speaker 1: down a Japanese firm's offer to outfit all of the
Speaker 1: soldiers with fake beards, real beards only. My final anecdote
Speaker 1: relates to notable absences from the celebration. Even though the
Speaker 1: infamous five hour dinner was almost entirely French, French President
Speaker 1: Georges Pompadou declined to go. In quite a backhanded statement,
Speaker 1: President Pompadou said, if I do go, they would probably
Speaker 1: make me head waiter. Noble Blood is a production of
Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood
Speaker 1: is created and hosted by me Dana Shwarts, with additional
Speaker 1: writing and researching by Hannah Johnston, Hannah Zuick, Mira Hayward,
Speaker 1: Courtney Sender, and Lori Goodman. The show is edited and
Speaker 1: produced by Noemi Griffin and rima Il Kahali, with supervising
Speaker 1: producer Josh Thain and executive producers Aaron Manke, Alex Williams,
Speaker 1: and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the
Speaker 1: iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
Speaker 1: favorite shows.