Monday 26 October 2026 marks the 107th anniversary of the birth of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the second and last king of the Pahlavi dynasty, and the 59th anniversary of his and Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi's coronation. Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi was born in Tehran on 26 October 1919, and at his own wish his coronation was also held on his 48th birthday, 26 October 1967.
He became crown prince of Iran at the age of six, after his father, Reza Shah the Great, ascended the throne. On 16 September 1941, in the days when Allied forces had occupied Iran and forced Reza Shah to abdicate, he took the oath before parliament at the age of 21 and began his reign.
Coronation in the Salam Hall of Golestan Palace
The coronation had been postponed for 26 years after the start of his reign, at his own request. At the ceremony, held in the Salam Hall of Golestan Palace, Mohammad Reza Shah placed the Pahlavi Crown on his head and then crowned Shahbanu Farah; it was the first time in Iran's history that the king's wife was formally crowned with the title of Shahbanu. In his speech that day, the king called the pride and honour of the nation and the country the sole aim of his life and spoke of his hope of preserving Iran's independence and sovereignty.
A record that is still the yardstick
The reign of Mohammad Reza Shah is known for the White Revolution of 1963, land reform, women's suffrage, the Literacy Corps and the expansion of education, health care, industry and the country's infrastructure. He left Iran after the 1979 revolution, died in Cairo on 27 July 1980 and was buried in the city's Al-Rifa'i Mosque.
Today, as Iranians live under the weight of war, inflation, power cuts and the Islamic Republic's repression, his birthday has become for many compatriots a day to remember a prosperous, independent and progressing Iran. Prince Reza Pahlavi also marked this day in 2022 in memory of his father and his tomb in exile, and expressed hope that religious rule in Iran would be brought to an end.
The Pahlavi family has stood beside Iranians many times in recent months, from Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi's 88th birthday celebration in London to the call for a rally in Frankfurt on 7 November for the freedom prize being awarded to Prince Reza Pahlavi in the name of the Iranian people.
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi was born on 26 October 1919 and crowned at Golestan Palace on 26 October 1967.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first.