Iran begins celebrations marking 1979 Islamic Revolution
Nationwide celebrations to mark the 46th anniversary of the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution started in Iran on Friday with thousands of programs organized to be held across the country.
The Ten-Day Dawn celebrations begin on the 12th day of the Iranian month of Bahman in the Persian calendar which marks the return of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, to Iran after several years of living in exile.
In the capital Tehran, thousands of Iranians as well as several officials attended a ceremony to adorn the city’s major cemetery with flowers, where Imam Khomeini held his first speech after returning to the country.
Meanwhile, motorcycle parades were held across the country to mark the victory of the revolution.
Over 46,000 programs have been prepared and organized to mark the Islamic Revolution’s anniversary this year. The programs include visiting the tombs of the martyrs, holding 900 meetings with the families of martyrs, laying flowers on the tombs of martyrs, and sounding the bell of the Revolution in 110,000 schools across the country.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei also paid tribute to Imam Khomeini at his mausoleum in Tehran on Thursday. He also visited the tombs of the martyrs in Tehran’s cemetery.
The Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 led to overthrowing of former Iranian monarch Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
By toppling the Western-backed Pahlavi regime 46 years ago, the Iranian nation ended 2,500 years of monarchic rule and established a new political system – a republic based on Islamic values and democracy.