'Shah of Iran's mummified body found in Tehran'

Experts say identity of the corpse could only be confirmed after further examination

The mummified body of Iranian ruler Reza Shah Pahlavi is believed to have been stumbled upon by a construction worker in southern Tehran, The Telegraph reported.

Pahlavi's son was ousted in the country's revolution of 1979.

The builders were carrying out construction work at a shrine in the Iranian capital when they found the body amid a pile of remains.

Pahlavi was buried in a mausoleum nearby after his death back in 1944, however, the tomb was blown up by Iranian revolutionaries as they attempted to erase any trace of the previous monarchy.

Shah’s body was never found in the ruins and has been missing for nearly 40 years.

Hassan Khalilabadi, the head of Tehran’s heritage committee, said there is “a possibility” that the corpse may be that of the former Iranian leader. “This will be examined by responsible bodies," he said.

Pahlavi was a military officer, who toppled the ruling Persian dynasty in 1921 and seized power for himself, first becoming the Iran's prime minister and subsequently its monarch.



He introduced widespread reforms and is credited by some as the founder of modern Iran. But, he was forced from power in 1941 by British and Russian troops and then abdicated in favour of his son.

Pahlavi went into exile and died in South Africa back in 1944.

His legacy is a taboo subject for Iran’s government. While his son is still deeply controversial, some Iranians think fondly of the older Pahlavi because of his modernisation programme and his expansion of some freedoms for women.