Construction workers in Iran have recently discovered the mummified remains of a human. Although forensic experts haven't confirmed the find just yet, all the evidence so far suggests the body belonged to Reza Shah Pahlavi, an Iranian monarch who was kicked off the throne in 1941.

The gauze-wrapped remains were unearthed this week by a digger working on a construction project at the Shiite shrine of Abdul Azim, Associated Press reports. The site is found in the south of the capital Tehran, just a short hop from where Reza Shah’s mausoleum once stood before the Iranian Revolution ripped it down.

Authorities are planning to carry out DNA tests to confirm the identity of the body. Reza Pahlavi, the grandson of Reza Shah Pahlavi currently in exile in the US, has tweeted a statement explaining that he believes the body is of the former Iranian monarch Reza Shah.

The story of Reza Shah Pahlavi and his chapter of Iranian history is pretty crazy, so this recent discovery is not without its controversy. Despite being a monumental figure of modernization and secularism, Reza Shah was forced to abdicate by the British during the 1941 Anglo-USSR invasion of Iran. Some argue he was forced to abdicate because Iran had strong trade links with Nazi Germany, others argue it was related to the vast British oil interests in the region.

The Shah was exiled to South Africa where he lived until his death in 1944. He was eventually laid to rest in the Iranian capital after being briefly buried in Egypt for a number of years. It’s believed he was mummified in order to preserve his body through this long journey.

Reza Shah was replaced by his more malleable and Western-friendly son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. This silver-haired Shah ruled Iran until 1979 when he was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution led by the Islamist cleric Ayatollah Khomeini. The forces that came to power after the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty are still in government today, so some Iranian commentators are concerned about how the body will be dealt with. Even today, the Pahlavi dynasty is still heavily criticised by the Iranian government due to their ties to the West, their lavish lifestyles, and their oppressive use of the SAVAK secret police.

“I remember someone once told me that after the 1979 revolution, the Islamic Republic had converted Reza Shah’s gravesite into a public toilet as a major insult,” tweeted Holly Dagres, an Iranian-American Middle East analyst.

Reza Pahlavi, the grandson, added: “We ask that the current regime and its official afford our family access to the body... Reza Shah must ultimately be buried again in Iran in an appropriate manner respecting the wishes of our family.”