In October 1971, the 2,500-year celebration of the Persian Empire was held at the site of Persepolis. Only foreign dignitaries were invited to the three-day party, whose extravagances recalled those of Persian King Ahasverus roughly 2,500 years previously. The Ministry of the Court placed the cost at $17 million (in 1971 dollars); Ansari, one of the organizers, puts it at $22 million (in 1971 dollars). Meanwhile, drought ravaged the provinces of Baluchistan, Sistan, and even Fars where the celebrations were held.By late 1974 the oil boom had begun to produce not “the Great Civilization” promised by the Shah, but an “alarming” increase in inflation and waste and an “accelerating gap” between the rich and poor, the city and the country.