The festivities, known as the Ten-Day Dawn, start with ceremonies that mark the return to Iran of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic, after 15 years in exile.
Millions of Iranians welcomed the charismatic leader in Tehran on February 1, 1979. Imam Khomeini’s arrival intensified months of popular protests against the Pahlavi regime.
Ten days later, the rallies culminated in the downfall of the Pahlavi regime, bringing the curtain down on more than two millennia of monarchy in Iran.
The Islamic Revolution established a new political system; a republic based on Islamic values and democracy.
“Like every year, we gathered today in this holy place to pay respect to Imam Khomeini. A man who changed the course of history in our country and established a political system that respects our beliefs as Muslims,” a person attending the ceremonies at the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini told Press TV.