Editing Abadan, Iran (section)

==History==
Abadan is thought to have been further developed into a major port city under the [[Abbasid]]s' rule. The city was then a commercial source of salt and woven [[mat]]s.<ref name="eb" /> The [[siltation]] of the river delta forced the town further away from water; In the 14th century, however, [[Ibn Battutah]] described Abadan just as a small port in a flat salty plain.<ref name="eb2">{{harvnb|Hoiberg|2010|p=7}}</ref> Politically, Abadan was often the subject of dispute between the nearby states. In 1847, Persia acquired it from the [[Ottoman Empire]]<ref name=col /> in which state Abadan has remained since. From the 17th century onward, the island of Abadan was part of the lands of the [[Arab]] ''Ka'ab'' ([[Bani Kaab]]) tribe. One section of the tribe, ''Mohaysen'', had its headquarters at ''Mohammara'' (now [[Khorramshahr]]), until the removal of Shaikh [[Khaz'al Khan]] in 1924.<ref>{{harvnb|Elwell-Sutton|de Planhol|1982|p=53}}</ref>

It was not until the 20th century that rich oil fields were discovered in the area. On 16 July 1909, after secret negotiation with the [[British Empire|British]] consul, [[Percy Cox]], assisted by [[Arnold Wilson]], and [[Khaz'al al-Ka'bi|Sheik Khaz'al]] agreed to a rental agreement for the island, including Abadan.<ref>{{harvnb|Ferrier|1991|pp=641–42}}</ref><ref name=gre>{{harvnb|Greaves|1991|pp=418–19}}</ref><ref name=AB56>{{harvnb|Abrahamian|2008|p=56}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|The agreement gave £1,500 per year and £16,500 in gold sovereigns to the Sheik.<ref name=AB56/>}} The Sheik continued to administer the island until 1924.<ref name=fer>{{harvnb|Ferrier|1991|pp=647–48}}</ref> The [[Anglo-Persian Oil Company]] built their first pipeline terminus [[oil refinery]] in Abadan, starting in 1909 and completing it in 1912, with oil flowing by August 1912 (see [[Abadan Refinery]]).<ref name=mac>{{harvnb|MacPherson|1989|p=164}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Issawi|1991|pp=606–07}}</ref> Refinery throughput numbers rose from 33,000 tons in 1912–1913 to 4,338,000 tons in 1931.<ref name=fer/> By 1938, it was the largest in the world.

During [[World War II]], Abadan was the site of brief combat between Iranian forces and British and Indian troops during the [[Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran]]. [[Alanbrooke]] wrote in August 1942 that everything depends on the oil from Abadan, as "if we lost [Persian oil] it could not be made good from America because of the shortage of tankers ... we inevitably lost Egypt, command of the Indian Ocean, and endangered the whole India Burma situation".<ref>{{cite book | last = Alanbrooke | first = Field Marshal Lord  <!--| authorlink = Alan Brooke-->  | title = War Diaries 1939–1945 |url=https://archive.org/details/wardiaries1939190000alan/page/290/mode/2up?q=Abadan | publisher = Phoenix Press | date = 2001 | location =  | page = 290 | doi = | id = | isbn = 1-84212-526-5 }}</ref> Later, Abadan was a major logistics centre for [[Lend-Lease]] aircraft being sent to the [[Soviet Union]] by the [[United States]].<ref>{{harvnb|Ferrier|1991|p=651}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | date = 3 April 1987 | url = http://airforcehistoryindex.org/data/000/190/278.xml | title = Document Detail for IRISNUM= 00190278 | access-date = 6 August 2014 | website = Air Force History Index }}</ref>

In 1951, Iran nationalised all oil properties and refining ground to a stop on the island. Rioting broke out in Abadan, after the government had decided to nationalise the oil facilities, and three British workers were killed.<ref>{{harvnb|Wilber|1984|p=141}}</ref> It was not until 1954, after the British-American led coup they overthrew the democratically elected government, that a settlement was reached, which allowed a consortium of international oil companies to manage the production and refining on the island.<ref name=Colliers>{{harvnb|Melamid|1997|p=6}}</ref> That continued until 1973, when the [[NIOC]] took over all facilities.<ref name=mac/> After the total nationalisation, Iran focused on supplying oil domestically and built a pipeline from Abadan to [[Tehran]].<ref name=mac/>

Abadan was not a major cultural or religious centre, but it played an important role in the [[Islamic Revolution]]. On 19 August 1978, the anniversary of the US-backed [[coup d'état]] that had overthrown the nationalist and popular Iranian prime minister, [[Mohammed Mossadegh]], the Cinema Rex, a movie theatre in Abadan, was set ablaze. The [[Cinema Rex Fire]] caused 430 deaths,<ref name = Cam>{{harvnb|Chelkowski|1991|p=800}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|Sources give different amounts for the number of people killed, with 400+,<ref name=abra>{{harvnb|Abrahamian|2008|p=159}}</ref> "about 370 people",<ref name=ax>{{harvnb|Axworthy|2013|pp=108–09}}</ref> and "almost 400 people."<ref name=dan>{{harvnb|Daniel|2001|pp=167–68}}</ref>}} but more importantly, it was another event that kept the Islamic Revolution moving ahead. At the time, there was much confusion and misinformation about the perpetrators of the incident. The public largely put the blame on the local police chief and also the Shah and [[SAVAK]].<ref name=abra/><ref name=ax/><ref name=dan/><ref>{{harvnb|Satrapi|2003|pp=14–15}}</ref> The reformist ''Sobh-e Emrooz'' newspaper in one of its editorials revealed that the Cinema Rex was burned down by radical Islamists. The newspaper was shut down immediately afterwards. Over time, the true culprits, radical Islamists, were apprehended, and the logic behind this act was revealed, as they were trying both to foment the general public to distrust the government even more, and perceived cinema as a link to the Americans.<ref name=ax/><ref>{{harvnb|Keddie|2003|p=231}}</ref> The fire was one of four during a short period in August, with other fires in [[Mashhad]], [[Urmia|Rizaiya]], and [[Shiraz]].<ref name=Cam/> In September 1980, Abadan was almost overrun during a surprise attack on Khuzestan by Iraq, marking the beginning of the [[Iran–Iraq War]]. For 11 months, Abadan was besieged and faced Iraqi artillery and aerial bombardments, but was never captured, by Iraqi forces, and in September 1981, the Iranians broke the [[siege of Abadan]].<ref>{{harvnb|Daniel|2001|p=208}}</ref> Much of the city, including the oil refinery, which was the world's largest refinery with a capacity of 628,000 barrels per day, was badly damaged or destroyed by the siege and by bombing.<ref>{{harvnb|MacPherson|1989|p=154}}</ref> Prior to the war, the city's civilian population was about 300,000, but at the war's end nearly the entire populace had sought refuge elsewhere in Iran.

After the war, the biggest concern was the rebuilding of Abadan's oil refinery, as it was operating at 10% of capacity due to damage.<ref>{{harvnb|Axworthy|2013|p=309}}</ref> In 1993, the refinery began limited operation and the port reopened.  By 1997, the refinery reached the same rate of production as before the war. Recently, Abadan has been the site of major labour activity as workers at the oil refineries in the city have staged walkouts and strikes to protest non-payment of wages and the political situation in the country.<ref>{{harvnb|Mather|2009}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Exploded tank, remains in Abadan as symbol of Iran–Iraq War.jpg|The burnt-out shell of an Iraqi [[T-54/55]] tank, now a monument to the [[Iran–Iraq War]].|alt=
File:Abadan ruin.jpg|Ruins of a building in Abadan, which had suffered serious damages during the Iran–Iraq War (1980–88), including by Saddam's deadly chemical weapons.
File:Pictures From Iran E5329.jpg|Pictures From Iran E5329
File:Shah visits AbadanPetrochemical.jpg|Mohammad Reza Shah visits Abadan Petrochemical
File:Outdoor cinema in Abadan, Iran, 1960s.jpg|[[Outdoor cinema]] in Abadan, 1960s
</gallery>