Young Iranians, including women in black chador, walk through the ancient staircases at the ruins of Persepolis (“The Persian Cities”). The Shah of Iran held an extravagant celebration in 1971 to commemorate 2,500 years of the Persian Empire here in Persepolis, by building a tent city and spent millions of dollars. The celebration was heavily criticized by Khomeini, who called it the Devil’s Festival. The Shah regime was toppled down in 1979, replaced by the Islamic Republic regime led by Khomeini which gradually imposes strict religious rules to the nation. Now all women in Iran is required to wear modest clothing and headscarves in public space.
Persepolis, Shiraz, Iran, 2009