Ismail Valiyev, Head of the Nakhchivan Higher School of Defense
“It is an undeniable fact that Imam Khomeini , despite the grandeur and greatness he possessed, lived a remarkably simple life. I myself visited Imam Khomeini’s residence and saw firsthand the room in which he lived.
Before entering that place, I imagined that I would be entering a large and magnificent residence, with the latest-model cars parked at the entrance. I assumed that he would also live in a grand building, because the hostile propaganda of the enemies of the Islamic Revolution had led us to believe this.
But when I arrived there, all my expectations proved completely unfounded. The life of this great man was entirely similar to and no different from the ordinary life of the Iranian people. In fact, I must say that he had devoted his life to the elevation of religion and the Muslim Ummah.
Imam’s life was even simpler than my own, although I am a teacher. He is always alive, and it was under his influence and in his shadow that I came to Iran. When I stood behind the door of his room, I kissed his photograph through the window and said in my heart:
‘O Imam! You will never be forgotten. You will always remain alive.’
Imam Khomeini in the Words of Others, p. 4