TEHRAN. Feb i: Twenty years after the overthrow of the Shah, the remaining monuments of his rule are becoming just another part of Iran’s national heritage as the fury that brought millions of demonstrators onto the streets fades into history, reports AFP.

The principal palaces where the Shah lived and entertained his guests are now museums where schoolchildren are taken on outings arid ordinary people go for a day out.

And while the new regime's original Intention in opening the palaces to the public may have been to expose the wealth of the hated imperial family, these days they are to all intents and purposes Just ordinary historical showcases.

The array of imperial portraits and momentos, and wealth of largely imported antiques are generally left to speak for themselves without the addition of critical com-

mentary.

"Everything has gone back to normal now." said one of the caretakers at the Niavaran Palace, in the far north of the capital, which the Shah made his principal private residence in his later years.

"No one is after anyone else any more — everyone is entitled to their own opinion regarding the Shah." he said, asking not to be named.

“People say all sorts of things about him. Some curse him. some say: 'May he rest in peace,' and say good thing about him."

With the passage of time, fewer Iranians now visit the palaces a few hundred on weekdays and a few thousand on holidays. according to staff — but their motives are still largely the same.

"All sorts of people come — many are curious to know how the Shah lived." said a curator at the Niavaran.

The .arrangement oi tne exhibits inside the palaces is clearly designed to satisfy the desire to gawp.

At the Niavaran a sign proudly announces the "charii-ber for make-up” of the Shah's third wife Farah, while at the nearby Saadabad Palace a display case presents the "personal equipment" of his father Reza Shah and visitors can even'peer into an imperial toilet.

At the Niavaran the personal wardrobes of both the Shah and his wife are exposed to the critical gaze of the whims of fashion — with the change of tastes in their beloved West. Their imported French clothes and shoes now seem rather gawdy.

An array of sports jackets in loud floral patterns and screaming checks and a pair of long-haired apresski boots betray the influence on the imperial couple of the western tastes of the 70s.