An icon of anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism, Imam Khomeini began breathing life into suppressed resentment across the country against the dictatorship of Iran’s former US-backed Pahlavi regime in the 1960s.
The subsequent years saw an uprising against the monarchy by the grassroots, who had been heartened by Imam Khomeini’s lessons. The popular Revolution finally deposed the monarchy in 1979, becoming as an eternal example of the defeat of the West, especially the US, in imposing its will on the nations that choose independence and resistance.
Here are some pictures that could depict some of the landmarks of the late revolutionary leader’s life and how Iranians salute his heritage him now:
The courtyard of the house in the west-central Iranian city of Khomein, where Imam Khomeini was born in 1902
A picture of Imam Khomeini rests on a stand inside his family home in Khomein.
Picture provided by Tasnim News Agency of Imam Khomeini’s birth certificate
Imam Khomeini (2nd R) is seen in this picture as a young religious pupil.
Imam Khomeini delivering a famous speech against Iran’s US-backed Shah in the north-central Iranian holy city of Qom in 1964
The front page of Iran’s Ettela’at daily announces Imam Khomeini’s imminent arrival in the country from long-drawn-out exile in 1979.
Iconic picture shows Imam Khomeini deplaning in Tehran after returning from exile on February 1, 1979.
Picture taken in 1981 shows Imam Khomeini at his house in Jamaran, Tehran two years after the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution.
Picture provided by Fars News Agency shows people mourning the passing of Imam Khomeini in 1989.
Aerial photo shows Iranians massing in their thousands around a casket bearing Imam Khomeini’s body after his passing in 1989.
Imam Khomeini’s Mausoleum in southern Tehran
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei pays tribute to Imam Khomeini at the late founder of the Islamic Republic’s Mausoleum in southern Tehran in early 2019.
Members of Iran’s Zoroastrian society pay tribute to Imam Khomeini on the anniversary of his passing in Tehran on June 4, 2019. (Photo by IRNA)
Picture taken in Tehran on June 4, 2019 during a ceremony held by Iranian Jews to mark Imam Khomeini’s passing (Photo by Mehr News Agency)
Picture provided by Fars News Agency shows a ceremony held at Goharshad Mosque in the Iranian holy city of Mashhad on June 4, 2019 to commemorate the anniversary of Imam Khomeini’s heavenly departure.
Mansour Gholami, Iran's minister of science, research, and technology, attends a ceremony attended by Iranian academics at Imam Khomeini’s Mausoleum in southern Tehran on June 4, 2019 to mark the anniversary of the late revolutionary leader’s passing. (Photo by Fars News Agency)
Senior Iranian clergymen commemorate Imam Khomeini during a ceremony held in Qom to mark his passing. (Photo by Tasnim News Agency)