The Architect of the Islamic Revolution
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (1902 - 1989) was an Iranian religious and political leader who founded the Islamic Republic of Iran. He led the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which saw the overthrow of the 2,500-year-old Persian monarchy led by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran.
Khomeini was born into a family of religious scholars. He began his religious studies as a young boy and eventually moved to the holy city of Qom. By the 1950s, he was recognized as an "Ayatollah," a high-ranking title in Shia Islam given to those who are experts in Islamic law and philosophy.
In the early 1960s, Khomeini became a vocal critic of the Shah's "White Revolution," a series of reforms aimed at Westernizing Iran. He was arrested several times and eventually sent into exile in 1964. He lived in Turkey, Iraq, and later France, from where he continued to inspire opposition against the Shah through smuggled cassette tapes of his speeches.
Following massive protests and strikes in Iran, the Shah fled the country in January 1979. Khomeini returned to Tehran on February 1, 1979, to a hero's welcome by millions. Shortly after, a national referendum was held, and Iran was officially declared an Islamic Republic on April 1, 1979.
As Supreme Leader, Khomeini held ultimate political and religious authority. His leadership was marked by the Iran Hostage Crisis (1979 - 1981) and the long, devastating Iran-Iraq War (1980 - 1988). Despite international challenges, he remained a deeply influential and revered figure among his followers until his death in 1989.