Body of Iran shah possibly found: heritage officials

Tehran’s heritage committee says Monday it has found a mummified body at the site of a former shah’s tomb, raising a storm of interest over whether the long-lost corpse has been rediscovered.

After the 1979 revolution, the newly installed Islamic authorities did their best to erase any memories of the Pahlavi monarchy they had overthrown. This included destroying the enormous tomb in south Tehran of Reza Shah Pahlavi, the military strongman who seized control of the country in the 1920s and abdicated in favor of his son in 1941 under pressure from the British.

Despite efforts to uncover his corpse, it was never found.

But on Monday, the head of Tehran council’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Committee tells state news agency IRNA that a mummified body had been found at the site, during expansion work on an Islamic shrine.

Hassan Khalilabadi says it was “a possibility” the body belonged to Reza Shah Pahlavi.

“This will be examined by responsible bodies,” he says.

— AFP