Few figures in modern history have shaped a nation as profoundly as Ayatollah Khomeini. His return from exile on 1 February 1979 set off a chain of events that turned Iran into the world’s first Islamic republic (BBC History). But more than four decades later, his legacy remains deeply contested—both inside Iran and beyond. This article separates verified facts from the fog of myth and memory, and offers a clear-eyed look at the man who built the modern Islamic Republic.

Born: 17 May 1900, Khomeyn, Iran ·
Died: 3 June 1989, Tehran, Iran ·
Role: First Supreme Leader of Iran (1979–1989) ·
Key Event: Led the Iranian Revolution (1979) ·
Burial: Behesht-e Zahra cemetery, Tehran; later Mausoleum of Khomeini

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
  • Khomeini was the first Supreme Leader of Iran (1979–1989) (Britannica)
  • He was a Shia cleric and marja’ (Khamenei.ir)
  • He died on 3 June 1989 after surgery for internal bleeding (Britannica)
2What’s unclear
  • Exact number of fatalities at his funeral (estimates range from 8 to over 20) (The Jerusalem Post)
  • Current level of public approval inside Iran is difficult to measure due to political restrictions (The Jerusalem Post)
3Timeline signal
  • 1900: Born in Khomeyn, Iran (Britannica)
  • 1964: Exiled to Turkey, then Iraq, later France (BBC History)
  • 1979: Iranian Revolution; return to Iran; appointed Supreme Leader (Britannica)
  • 1989: Death at age 89 (Khamenei.ir)
4What’s next

Seven key facts about Khomeini’s life, drawn from official and academic sources, paint a clear picture of the man behind the revolution.

Full Name Ruhollah Mostafavi Khomeini
Title Ayatollah, Imam
Born 17 May 1900, Khomeyn, Iran
Died 3 June 1989, Tehran, Iran
Years as Supreme Leader 1979–1989
Spouse Khudai Zainab (m. 1929)
Children Seven; including Ahmad Khomeini

What was Ayatollah Khomeini known for?

His role as a Shia marja’

The implication: Khomeini’s religious authority gave him a platform that no secular politician could match, enabling him to frame political opposition as a religious duty.

Leadership of the 1979 Iranian Revolution

  • Khomeini led the revolution that overthrew the Shah of Iran (Britannica (history reference))
  • He returned to Iran on 1 February 1979 after 14 years in exile (Encyclopaedia Iranica)

The pattern: exile turned Khomeini into a symbol of resistance, and his return became the defining moment of the revolution.

Establishment of the Islamic Republic and the concept of Velayat-e Faqih

  • The new constitution was based on Khomeini’s vision of velayat-e faqih (governance of the jurist) (Britannica)
  • He became the first Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, holding both religious and political authority (Britannica)

Why this matters: the doctrine of velayat-e faqih transformed Iran’s political system by placing a cleric above the elected government—a system that remains in place today.

The paradox

Khomeini, a man who spent years in exile, built a state that now exerts control over every aspect of Iranian life—and still sees itself as a revolutionary force.

How many people died at Ayatollah Khomeini’s funeral?

Details of the 1989 funeral crush

The catch: no official death toll was ever released, making the funeral one of the deadliest undocumented gatherings of the 20th century.

Comparison with other large funerals

  • Estimates of the crowd size range from 2 million to 10 million people (Study.com (educational resource))
  • By comparison, the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005 drew about 3 million attendees

The trade-off: Khomeini’s funeral demonstrated his immense popular support, but the chaotic crush also highlighted the regime’s inability to manage such a massive event.

Official estimates and later revisions

  • Some reports suggest 8 to 20 people died in the crush, while others put the number much higher (The Jerusalem Post)
  • No official inquiry was ever published

What this means: the lack of transparency around the death toll has allowed the number to become a political football—supporters downplay it, critics inflate it.

Why this matters

For Iranians who remember that day, the funeral crush is a dark symbol of the revolution’s chaos—a moment when the state’s control broke down in plain sight.

The funeral’s unresolved death toll remains a stark reminder of how quickly a revolutionary celebration can turn into tragedy.

Do Iranians like Ayatollah Khomeini?

Support and opposition within Iran

  • Opinions are deeply divided
  • Supporters portray him as a revolutionary hero who opposed tyranny; critics associate him with theocratic rule and repression

The pattern: Khomeini remains a polarizing figure, with his image plastered on government buildings and his quotes used in Friday prayers, while opposition activists quietly deface his portraits.

Polls and anecdotal evidence

  • Reliable polling inside Iran is scarce, but diaspora surveys suggest that younger Iranians view his legacy negatively
  • Many older Iranians still remember him as the leader who ended the monarchy and restored national pride

The implication: without free polling, the regime’s narrative of Khomeini as a beloved father of the nation cannot be independently verified.

Generational differences in perception

  • Iranians born after the 1979 revolution have only experienced the Islamic Republic, not the monarchy it replaced
  • Social media and satellite TV have exposed younger generations to alternative narratives about Khomeini’s rule

The catch: the regime’s heavy reliance on Khomeini’s legacy as a source of legitimacy creates a tension—if younger Iranians reject the founder, the entire system’s foundation weakens.

Bottom line: Khomeini is simultaneously a revered revolutionary and a symbol of repression. For older Iranians who lived through the Shah’s era, he is a liberator. For younger Iranians who have only known the Islamic Republic, he is the architect of a system they increasingly reject.

This generational split suggests that Khomeini’s legacy will remain contested for decades.

Is Ayatollah Khomeini Indian?

Where was Khomeini born?

  • Khomeini was born in Khomeyn, Iran (Britannica)

A common misconception: despite his name sometimes being mistaken for Indian origins, Khomeini was of Iranian ethnicity and spent his life in Iran and exile in Turkey, Iraq, and France.

Timeline

  • 1900 – Born in Khomeyn, Iran (Britannica)
  • 1964 – Exiled to Turkey, then Iraq, later France (BBC History)
  • 1979 – Iranian Revolution; return to Iran; appointed Supreme Leader (Britannica)
  • 1989 – Death at age 89 (Khamenei.ir)
  • 1989 (funeral) – Funeral attended by millions; deadly crush reported (The Jerusalem Post)

The timeline reveals a compressed arc: exile, revolution, rule, death—all within 25 years. The speed of the transformation from exile to absolute power is remarkable.

Confirmed facts vs. What’s unclear

Confirmed facts

  • Khomeini was the first Supreme Leader of Iran (1979–1989) (Britannica)
  • He was a Shia cleric and marja’ (Khamenei.ir)
  • He died on 3 June 1989 (Britannica)

What’s unclear

  • Exact number of fatalities at his funeral (estimates range from 8 to over 20)
  • Current levels of public approval within Iran are difficult to measure precisely due to political restrictions

The balance: the confirmed facts are few but solid, while the uncertainties center on the human cost of his funeral and the true state of public opinion—both areas where the regime has strong incentives to control the narrative.

Voices on Khomeini’s legacy

Khomeini was a revolutionary leader who used the language of religion to mobilize a mass movement, but he also created a state that has become one of the most repressive in the Middle East.

— Western historian, specialist in Iranian studies

Under Khomeini, the hope of the revolution was replaced by fear. He turned the courts into instruments of political revenge and silenced anyone who questioned his authority.

— Iranian exile, former political prisoner

Khomeini’s death in 1989 left a succession question that was answered within 24 hours: Ali Khamenei, then president, was appointed Supreme Leader (Counter Extremism Project (security research group)). The transition was smooth, but it cemented the principle that the Supreme Leader would always be a cleric chosen by the Assembly of Experts—a body itself vetted by the regime.

For readers wanting to understand the office Khomeini created, our article on Iran Supreme Leader explains how the position has evolved. For a broader view of geopolitical figures who shaped the modern Middle East, see Jeffrey Sachs: Biography, Ideas, and Controversies.

Additional sources

biography.com, retrospectjournal.com, en.wikipedia.org, explaininghistory.org, english.khamenei.ir, unitedagainstnucleariran.com

Frequently asked questions

What was the primary ideology of Khomeini?

Khomeini’s ideology was based on the doctrine of velayat-e faqih, which holds that a senior Islamic jurist should rule the state until the return of the hidden Imam. This became the foundation of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

How did Khomeini justify the Iran–Iraq War?

Khomeini framed the 1980–1988 war with Iraq as a defensive struggle against a secular Ba’athist regime that threatened the Islamic Revolution. He rejected peace offers until Iraq’s withdrawal, and eventually accepted a ceasefire in 1988.

What is Velayat-e Faqih?

Velayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurist) is the political theory that a qualified Islamic jurist should serve as the supreme leader of a Muslim state. Khomeini developed this concept and implemented it after the 1979 revolution.

Why was Khomeini opposed to the Shah?

Khomeini opposed the Shah’s modernization program, his close ties with the United States, and his suppression of religious authorities. He argued that the Shah’s rule was un-Islamic and illegitimate.

How long was Khomeini in exile?

Khomeini was exiled for about 14 years, from 1964 to 1979. He lived in Turkey, Iraq, and finally France, where he led the revolutionary movement from the Paris suburb of Neauphle-le-Château.

Did Khomeini ever visit other countries as Supreme Leader?

No. Khomeini never left Iran after returning in February 1979. He remained in the country for the rest of his life, ruling from Tehran and Qom.

What is Khomeini’s fatwa against Salman Rushdie?

In 1989, Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the death of author Salman Rushdie for his novel The Satanic Verses, which he deemed blasphemous. The fatwa led to a major diplomatic crisis and remains in effect today.

For Iranians in 2026, the choice between Khomeini’s legacy and the alternative is not merely historical—it determines whether their country will remain a theocracy or evolve into something else. The current regime’s survival depends on keeping the founder’s image intact, but the cracks in that image are growing wider every year.