Ayatollah Khomeini: Revolution, Exile, and Largest Funeral

Few images from the 20th century are as striking as the sight of 10 million people flooding the streets of Tehran for a single funeral. That scene, in June 1989, was for Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini — the revolutionary cleric who had reshaped Iran and the Middle East a decade earlier.

Birth: 17 May 1900 ·
Death: 3 June 1989 ·
Role: First Supreme Leader of Iran ·
Funeral attendance: Estimated 10 million ·
Years in exile: 14 years (1965–1979) ·
Cause of death: Heart attack after surgery

The key facts below offer a quick reference to the most important details about Khomeini’s life and death — a single snapshot of nine data points that anchor the deeper story.

What was Ayatollah Khomeini known for?

The 1979 Iranian Revolution

• Khomeini, an Iranian Shiʿi cleric, led a popular revolution that overthrew Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1979 (Encyclopaedia Britannica).
• The revolution ended 2,500 years of Persian monarchy and established Iran as an Islamic theocracy.
• Millions poured into the streets to welcome him when he returned to Tehran on 1 February 1979 (Los Angeles Times).

Founding of the Islamic Republic

• After a national referendum in April 1979, Iran became the Islamic Republic of Iran.
• Khomeini was appointed Supreme Leader for life in December 1979 (Encyclopaedia Britannica).
• The new constitution concentrated both political and religious authority in the Supreme Leader’s office.

Khomeini’s role as Supreme Leader

• He consolidated power by suppressing political dissent and enforcing traditional Islamic laws.
• His regime ordered executions of political opponents, though the exact number remains disputed.
• Khomeini also issued the 1989 fatwa against author Salman Rushdie, which intensified Iran’s isolation from the West.

The implication: Khomeini’s political identity was inseparable from his religious authority. He was not a president or a king but a marjaʿ — a source of emulation — whose word carried spiritual weight alongside state power.

Why was Ayatollah Khomeini exiled from Iran?

The 1963 protests against the White Revolution

• In 1963, Khomeini led protests against the Shah’s “White Revolution” — a Western-backed reform program that included land redistribution and women’s suffrage.
• He denounced the reforms as un-Islamic and a threat to clerical authority.
• The Shah’s security forces arrested Khomeini, sparking nationwide unrest.

Exile to Turkey, Iraq, and France

• Khomeini was forcibly exiled from Iran on 4 November 1964 (Encyclopaedia Britannica).
• He first went to Turkey, then settled in Najaf, Iraq, where he spent 13 years teaching and writing (Encyclopaedia Britannica).
• In 1978, Saddam Hussein expelled him from Iraq, and he moved to Neauphle-le-Château, France.

Return in 1979

• On 1 February 1979 — just two weeks after the Shah fled Iran — Khomeini returned to Tehran aboard an Air France flight.
• The Los Angeles Times described his return as “triumphant,” with millions lining the streets (Los Angeles Times).
• At the time, the Shah’s army was still intact and Shahpour Bakhtiar remained as prime minister (Los Angeles Times).

The pattern: exile did not weaken Khomeini — it radicalized him. Cut off from Iran, he developed the doctrine of Velayat-e Faqih and prepared the ground for the revolution that would bring him home.

How many people died at Ayatollah Khomeini’s funeral?

The 1989 funeral stampede

• Khomeini died on the night of 3 June 1989 after a long illness (Al Jazeera).
• His funeral on 4–5 June drew an estimated 10 million mourners — the largest percentage of a population ever to attend a funeral (Guinness World Records).
• During the funeral, a stampede killed at least 8 people and injured 500 (Guinness World Records).

“Millions poured into the streets over the following three days to grieve his death.”

— Al Jazeera, reporting on the public response to Khomeini’s passing (Al Jazeera)

Official and media estimates

• Guinness World Records identifies the crowd at 10.2 million people lining a 32-km route to Behesht-e Zahra cemetery (Guinness World Records).
• That figure represented about one-sixth of Iran’s population at the time (Guinness World Records).
• Western agencies estimated about 2 million people paid respects as the body lay in state (Guinness World Records).
• Some reports suggest the death toll from the crush may have been higher than 8, though precise figures vary.

Comparison to other large funerals

• Khomeini’s funeral is widely regarded as the largest human gathering in history for a funeral.
• By comparison, Pope John Paul II’s 2005 funeral drew an estimated 4 million mourners.
• Mahatma Gandhi’s 1948 funeral procession drew about 2 million people.

What this means: the funeral numbers are not just a trivia record. They document the emotional and political weight Khomeini carried — a leader whose death triggered a collective response that overwhelmed Tehran’s infrastructure and made global headlines.

Why did Saddam fight Khomeini?

The Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988)

• Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in September 1980, launching the Iran–Iraq War that lasted eight years.
• The war resulted in over 1 million casualties and ended in a stalemate with no territorial changes.
• Khomeini saw the conflict as a fight against a secular, Ba’athist enemy that threatened the Islamic Republic.

Territorial disputes and ideological conflict

• Saddam aimed to seize oil-rich Khuzestan and toppling the new Islamic government before it could consolidate power.
• Tensions over the Shatt al-Arab waterway had been a flashpoint between the two countries for decades.
• The war became a vicious cycle of trench warfare, chemical attacks, and human-wave assaults.

Khomeini’s call to export the revolution

• Saddam feared that Khomeini’s Islamic Revolution would inspire Shia uprisings in Iraq, where Shia Muslims formed the majority.
• Khomeini openly called for the export of the Islamic Revolution across the region.
• The war ended in August 1988 after Khomeini reluctantly accepted a UN-brokered ceasefire, describing it as “drinking poison.”

The trade-off: the war killed hundreds of thousands, but it also hardened Iran’s national identity and cemented Khomeini’s image as a leader willing to sacrifice everything for principle.

Who succeeded Ayatollah Khomeini?

The selection of Ali Khamenei

• After Khomeini’s death, the Assembly of Experts chose Ali Khamenei — then the president of Iran — as the second Supreme Leader.
• Khamenei had been a close ally of Khomeini since the 1960s and served as Tehran’s Friday prayer leader.
• His selection was confirmed on 4 June 1989, the day after Khomeini’s death.

Constitutional changes after Khomeini’s death

• The Iranian constitution was amended to allow a cleric of lesser rank (not necessarily a marjaʿ) to serve as Supreme Leader.
• This change made Khamenei eligible for the role despite not holding the same religious credentials as Khomeini.
• The constitutional revision also abolished the post of prime minister and strengthened the presidency.

Khamenei’s role as second Supreme Leader

• Khamenei has held the position since 1989, making him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East.
• Under Khamenei, the office of Supreme Leader has accumulated even more power, particularly over foreign policy and the military.
• Khomeini’s gold-domed tomb in Behesht-e Zahra cemetery remains a shrine for supporters (Encyclopaedia Britannica).

The implication: the succession of Khamenei — a figure of lesser religious stature but strong political instincts — redefined the Supreme Leader’s role. Khomeini was a revolutionary founder; Khamenei became a system manager. The shift from charisma to institutional power has defined Iran’s political trajectory for three decades.

Timeline of key events

• 1900 — Born in Khomeyn, Iran (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
• 1963 — Leads protests against Shah’s “White Revolution” (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
• 1964 — Exiled to Turkey, then Iraq (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
• 1978 — Moves to Neauphle-le-Château, France (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
• February 1979 — Returns to Iran after the Shah’s ouster (Los Angeles Times)
• April 1979 — Iran becomes an Islamic Republic after referendum (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
• December 1979 — Appointed Supreme Leader for life (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
• 1980–1988 — Iran–Iraq War (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
• June 1989 — Dies; funeral of 10 million mourners (Los Angeles Times)

Confirmed facts and what remains unclear

“A former Iranian diplomat said Khomeini’s funeral and his 1979 return from exile were the largest public gatherings in Iran’s history.”

— Al Jazeera, citing a former Iranian diplomat (Al Jazeera)

“Khomeini died 12 days after surgery for intestinal bleeding.”

— Los Angeles Times, reporting the medical circumstances of his death (Los Angeles Times)

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• Encyclopaedia Britannica — Ruhollah Khomeini biography
• Los Angeles Times — Khomeini’s death and return from exile
• Al Jazeera — Iran: supreme leader’s legacy debated 30 years after his death
• Guinness World Records — Largest percentage of population to attend a funeral