"Shah of Shahs" — reportage from the land of bloody absurdity

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Author: Maciej Czapiewski
Date: 1999

On 9 January 1978, in Qom, the holy city of the Shiites, the Islamic revolution in Iran began. After a year of bloody struggle the reigning ruler, Shah Reza Pahlavi, fled to the United States. Muslim fundamentalists seized power in Persia. There arose a unique state founded on Koranic law, defying both East and West — a state in which a woman could be sentenced to death by stoning for adultery. A witness to these dramatic events was Ryszard Kapuściński, the outstanding reporter gifted with the astonishing ability to be at the critical point of the globe at the right time. He recorded his observations and reflections in the book Shah of Shahs.

Maciej-Czapiewski on kapuscinski.info

"Shah of Shahs" — reportage from the land of bloody absurdity