World's most expensive party EVER took place in…, it cost Rs 8430665360, had 18 tonnes food, 100 aircraft, 25,000 bottles of…, was hosted by…, not Mukesh Ambani, Lakshmi Mittal

India.com

14-05-2025

Imagine the most expensive party ever thrown – no, not by Mukesh Ambani, even though he reportedly spent around Rs. 5,000 crore on his son Anant Ambani's wedding celebrations with Radhika Merchant. This grand celebration we're talking about happened long before, and the host was actually a ruler from Iran! This Iranian ruler once hosted a party so lavish that it shocked the world with 18 tonnes of food, 25,000 bottles of wine, and 100 aircraft bringing in guests from around the globe.
But Iran wasn't always as we know it today. Around 50 years ago, the country looked very different. Women walked freely in Western clothes, and the atmosphere was modern and open. However, everything changed in 1979 with the Islamic Revolution. That event ended the Pahlavi monarchy and gave rise to the Islamic Republic of Iran. It was a turning point that completely changed the country's culture, laws, and especially the lives of women, who saw many of their freedoms taken away.
Iran went through a huge change in 1979. That was the year when the rule of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the country's last king, came to an end, and Ayatollah Khomeini took over, leading to the start of the Islamic Republic. But one of the events that pushed people toward this big shift happened years before, it was a party, but not just any party. It was one of the most over-the-top celebrations the world had ever seen.
Back in 1941, Mohammad Reza Shah became the ruler of Iran. He was rich and wanted to turn Iran into a modern country. He followed Western ways, brought in new ideas, and even spoke against old customs like wearing the hijab. But many religious leaders didn't like this, and anyone who disagreed with the Shah was often jailed or silenced. World's most expensive party
In 1971, the Shah decided to throw a massive celebration to mark 2,500 years of the Persian Empire. It was held in Persepolis, a dry, empty desert where the ancient king Cyrus the Great was buried. Over 65 countries were invited, and the event reportedly cost USD 100 million a huge amount at that time.
The party took over a year to plan. Since Tehran didn't have enough hotels, they turned part of the desert into a grand party spot. They built roads, tents that looked like luxury palaces, and even flew in food from France. To make it feel like a lush garden, they brought in 50,000 birds from other countries but sadly, most of them died within days because they couldn't survive in the harsh desert.
While this grand party went on, many people in Iran didn't even have clean drinking water. This massive show of wealth, happening while so many people struggled with basic needs, made people angry and fueled protests. Many saw it as proof that the monarchy was out of touch with reality. This growing anger helped bring about the fall of the Shah and changed Iran forever. Temporary city made of tents
According to reports, a full temporary city made of tents was built right in the desert to host guests for the celebration. To make this possible, 40 trucks and 100 planes were flown in from France just to carry the supplies for the tents. The event was massive there were 18 tons of food, 180 waiters, and 25,000 bottles of wine ready for the high-profile guests. Extra security was also arranged to protect kings, queens, and leaders from around the world.
The party was so grand and expensive that people started calling it the most extravagant celebration in the world.