Neauphle-le-Château
Encyclopedia
Neauphle-le-Château is a commune
in the Yvelines
department in the Île-de-France
region
in north-central France
.
Neauphle-le-Château would gain international notoriety in 1978 when, on October 8th, Iranian
spiritual leader Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini
rented and moved into a local chateau following his exile by the regime of Shah
Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in the midst of the Iranian Revolution
, and after being deported from Iraq
where he was taking refuge amongst the Shi'a community. The Ayatollah would continue to reside there until the following year, when he returned to Iran following the collapse of the Shah's regime, and later became Iran's Supreme Leader
. Due to the Ayatollah's time residing in Neauphle-le-Château, a street in Tehran
on which the French Embassy in Iran is located is named after the village. The property where he resided, at the corner of the Chevreuse Road and Jardins Path has long been fenced off and locked and the former dwelling is now destroyed.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Yvelines
Yvelines
Yvelines is a French department in the region of Île-de-France.-History:Yvelines was created from the western part of the defunct department of Seine-et-Oise on 1 January 1968 in accordance with a law passed on 10 January 1964 and a décret d'application from 26 February 1965.It gained the...
department in the Île-de-France
Île-de-France (région)
Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in north-central France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
History
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
spiritual leader Ayatollah
Ayatollah
Ayatollah is a high ranking title given to Usuli Twelver Shī‘ah clerics. Those who carry the title are experts in Islamic studies such as jurisprudence, ethics, and philosophy and usually teach in Islamic seminaries. The next lower clerical rank is Hojatoleslam wal-muslemin...
Ruhollah Khomeini
Ruhollah Khomeini
Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini was an Iranian religious leader and politician, and leader of the 1979 Iranian Revolution which saw the overthrow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran...
rented and moved into a local chateau following his exile by the regime of Shah
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
Mohammed Reza Pahlavi in the midst of the Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
, and after being deported from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
where he was taking refuge amongst the Shi'a community. The Ayatollah would continue to reside there until the following year, when he returned to Iran following the collapse of the Shah's regime, and later became Iran's Supreme Leader
Supreme leader
A supreme leader typically refers to a figure in the highest leadership position of an entity, group, organization, or state, who exercises strong or all-powerful authority over it. In religion, the supreme leader or supreme leaders is God or Gods...
. Due to the Ayatollah's time residing in Neauphle-le-Château, a street in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
on which the French Embassy in Iran is located is named after the village. The property where he resided, at the corner of the Chevreuse Road and Jardins Path has long been fenced off and locked and the former dwelling is now destroyed.
External links
- Neauphle-le-Château city council website (in French)