SAEDNEWS: As ordinary Iranians grappled with daily hardship, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi and his royal family indulged in a series of opulent Nowruz vacations—from the beaches of Kish and the slopes of Switzerland to state visits in London and the United States.
According to Saed News, the Pahlavi dynasty’s penchant for extravagant leisure travel was never more evident than during the Persian New Year holiday. Whether cruising the turquoise waters of Kish and Mazandaran or whisking away to Europe and America, Shah Mohammad Reza and his entourage treated the spring break of 1403 (1974) as their personal luxury tour.
Travel patterns shifted with the seasons. Winter called for skiing in Switzerland, where the Shah owned a villa and apartment in St. Moritz and a lakeside retreat on Lake Geneva. Even the Shah’s final departure from Iran was officially dubbed a “rest,” underscoring how routine these pleasure excursions had become—and providing a convenient pretext for leaving the country. Domestically, the Shah preferred to holiday during Nowruz, Iran’s ten-day spring festival.
The seven‑volume memoirs of Assadollah Alam—one of the Shah’s closest confidants until his death in the United States on 25 Farvardin 1357 (14 April 1978)—offer a largely impartial chronicle of these royal jaunts. Alam’s daily notes, spanning 1346 to 1356 (1967–1977), provide vivid snapshots of each Nowruz season.
Year 1347 (1968)
Wednesday, 7 Farvardin 1347: “From the second Friday of Farvardin until today I was in the north. Spent twenty‑four delightful hours with Dr. Kani, an old colleague and dear friend. Then I joined His Majesty in Babol—rode together, galloped the horses. It was splendid.”
Year 1348 (1969)
Friday, 1 Farvardin: “This morning was the Nowruz salute ceremony. As last year, the Shahbanu attended; the Crown Prince—for the first time—sent a Nowruz message, which he read beautifully.”
The date coincided with the second of Muharram. Some had advised canceling the festivities out of respect, but the Shah insisted, “We cannot sacrifice a national ceremony for such concerns—he was right.”
Sunday, 3 Farvardin: “His Majesty went skiing this morning. I went horseback riding, but then it rained.”
Monday, 4 Farvardin: “I visited Jajrud to inspect the new villa we built for the Shah. In the afternoon I was granted an audience. We discussed routine matters at length, and then—since His Majesty had free time—spoke on family and other topics.”
Wednesday, 6 Farvardin: “First working day after Nowruz. Meetings were few. Near noon I joined His Majesty and, with the Shahbanu, the Crown Prince and Farahnaz, traveled to Shahdasht for lunch with Her Majesty the Queen.”
Saturday, 16 Farvardin: “At 6 p.m. on 9 Farvardin we flew by Iran Air charter to London for Eisenhower’s funeral. Next morning we flew Pan Am to the United States. On the afternoon of 10 Farvardin we landed by helicopter at the Washington church in ceremonial dress. It poured rain in Tehran—causing floods nationwide. In Washington, the Shah suffered a toothache and decided to go to Zurich for dental treatment. Although two days were consumed by dentistry, overall the trip was enjoyable.”
Year 1351 (1972)
Wednesday, 2 Farvardin: “We arrived in Kish on 2 Farvardin 1351. The island is lush green—grass up to the horses’ knees thanks to heavy rains. I rode daily alongside His Majesty. This year I flew ten horses to Kish—an excellent idea, as the Shah rode every day. On 14 Farvardin we returned from Kish; the stay was most pleasant.”
Year 1353 (1974)
Friday, 2 Farvardin to Wednesday, 14 Farvardin: “As every year, we went to Kish. His Majesty enjoyed himself thoroughly—riding daily, swimming, and basking in perfect weather.”
Year 1354 (1975)
Friday, 1 Farvardin to Friday, 15 Farvardin: “At 9:25 a.m. on 1 Farvardin the ceremony began; the Nowruz salute ran from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. All went well. On the morning of 2 Farvardin we traveled to Kish with Their Majesties; on 14 Farvardin we returned to Tehran. The Crown Prince stayed until 1 Farvardin morning and then returned on 15 Farvardin.”
“In Kish, mornings were for boating or swimming; afternoons for horseback riding, in which I participated every other day to avoid fatigue. The Prime Minister’s residence was completed—hosted its inaugural party. I hosted one night, the Imperial Guard another—both enjoyable.”
“During rides, walks or boat trips, I seized moments to discuss various matters with His Majesty. We also visited Abu Musa islands. One day the Shah went to Chabahar; at a small farm near Bandar Abbas, named after my daughter, we lunched together—an honor.”
Year 1355 (1976): The Shah’s Nausea on His 50th Coronation Anniversary
Sunday, 1 Farvardin: “Despite light rain, the jubilee of the Shah’s fiftieth regnal year was celebrated with special grandeur at the shrine of Hazrat Abdul Azim. During the festivities the Crown Prince fell ill with nausea; we sent him aside where he vomited before returning.”
Monday, 2 Farvardin: “Near noon Their Highnesses arrived in Kish. The weather improved. The Shahbanu, due to the Crown Prince’s illness, came in the afternoon. Upon arrival, the Crown Prince showed them his residence—Marjan Palace—his first home, of which he was most pleased.”
“Selling Kish!”
Prominent historian Khosrow Motazed recounts that former senator Ali Dashti—no royalist—revealed after the revolution that the Shah planned to sell Kish Island. “They built four or five palaces—Shah’s Palace, the Shahbanu’s Palace, Prime Minister Hoveyda’s, Alam’s, the Crown Prince’s—and then brought French developers to build 1,000 villas, the Shayan and three‑storey Pardis hotels. A casino followed. Engineer Yazdanpanah later demolished it and built something better.” Dashti writes that the Shah offered Kish to the National Oil Company for $800 million; when that failed, he proposed selling infrastructures instead. Dr. Eghbal told Dashti he was aghast at handing over $800 million to the Pahlavi Foundation. “The Shah knew his regime would fall and wanted to sell assets to flee with the proceeds,” Dashti concluded.
