Abadan, Iran

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Lore & Background

The earliest mention of the island of Abadan is found in the works of the Greek geographer Marcian, who renders the name 'Apphadana'. Earlier, Ptolemy notes 'Apphana' as an island off the mouth of the Tigris. Under the Abbasids' rule, Abadan is thought to have been further developed into a major port city, a commercial source of salt and woven mats. In 1847, Persia acquired it from the Ottoman Empire. 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. In the 20th century, rich oil fields were discovered. On 16 July 1909, after secret negotiation with the British consul, Percy Cox, assisted by Arnold Wilson, and Sheik Khaz'al agreed to a rental agreement for the island. 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. Refinery throughput numbers rose from 33,000 tons in 1912–1913 to 4,338,000 tons in 1931. By 1938, it was the largest in the world. During World War II, Abadan was a major logistics centre for Lend-Lease aircraft being sent to the Soviet Union by the United States. In 1951, Iran nationalised all oil properties and refining ground to a stop on the island. Rioting broke out, and three British workers were killed. It was not until 1954, after the British-American led coup they overthrew the democratically elected government, that a settlement was reached. That continued until 1973, when the NIOC took over all facilities. On 19 August 1978, the Cinema Rex, a movie theatre in Abadan, was set ablaze. The Cinema Rex Fire caused 430 deaths. The reformist Sobh-e Emrooz newspaper revealed that the Cinema Rex was burned down by radical Islamists. The newspaper was shut down immediately afterwards. In September 1980, Abadan was almost overrun during a surprise attack on Khuzestan by Iraq. For 11 months, Abadan was besieged and faced Iraqi artillery and aerial bombardments, but was never captured. In September 1981, the Iranians broke the siege of Abadan. 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. 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. 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.

Reader's Guide

Abadan's significance lies in its oil industry and its role in modern Iranian history. The Abadan Refinery, completed in 1912, became the world's largest by 1938, making the city a strategic asset during World War II and a focal point of the 1951 nationalization crisis. The Cinema Rex fire in 1978, which caused 430 deaths, was later revealed by the reformist newspaper Sobh-e Emrooz to have been set by radical Islamists, and it helped propel the Islamic Revolution. During the Iran–Iraq War, the city's successful defense against an 11-month siege became a symbol of Iranian resilience. Post-war reconstruction restored the refinery to pre-war production rates by 1997. Today, Abadan has been declared as a free zone city. The city's demographic shifts—with managers often brought from distant regions and Arabic-speakers concentrated in lower rungs—reflect broader social patterns in Iran's oil economy.

Did You Know?

• The earliest mention of the island of Abadan is found in the works of the Greek geographer Marcian, who renders the name 'Apphadana'.
• The Abadan oil refinery was featured on the reverse side of Iran's 100-rial banknotes printed in 1965 and from 1971 to 1973.
• The world's highest unconfirmed temperature was a temperature flare up during a heat burst in Abadan in June 1967, with a temperature of 86.7 °C (188.1 °F).
• The Cinema Rex fire in Abadan on 19 August 1978 caused 430 deaths and was later revealed by the reformist newspaper Sobh-e Emrooz to have been set by radical Islamists.
• During the Iran–Iraq War, the civilian population of Abadan dropped from about 300,000 to nearly zero, with the 1986 census recording only 6 people.

Geography & Strategic Position

Abadan sits on Abadan Island, which is 68 km or 42 mi long and 3–19 km or 2–12 miles wide. The island is bounded in the west by the Arvand waterway and to the east by the Bahmanshir outlet of the Karun River (the Arvand Rood), 53 kilometres (33 mi) from the Persian Gulf, near the Iran–Iraq border. Administratively, Abadan serves as the capital of both Abadan County and its Central District within Khuzestan province, and it lies in the southwest of the county. The provincial capital, Ahvaz, is 140 km from Abadan. The island's geography has shaped its history: siltation of the river delta forced the town further away from water; in the 14th century, Ibn Battutah described Abadan just as a small port in a flat salty plain.

Oil & Economic Transformation

For centuries Abadan was a modest commercial hub, known under Abbasid rule for exporting salt and woven mats. Everything changed in the twentieth century when rich oil fields were discovered in the region. On 16 July 1909, Sheik Khaz'al, after secret negotiations with British consul Percy Cox and his assistant Arnold Wilson, signed a rental agreement for the island. 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. Throughput exploded from 33,000 tons in 1912–1913 to 4,338,000 tons in 1931, and by 1938 the Abadan Refinery held the title of the largest in the world. The industry's dominance brought repeated political upheaval: nationalisation in 1951 halted operations and sparked rioting in which three British workers were killed; a 1954 settlement under a new government restored a multinational consortium; and in 1973 the NIOC assumed full control, redirecting output toward domestic supply via a pipeline from Abadan to Tehran.

The Siege of 1980–1981

In September 1980, Iraqi forces launched a surprise offensive into Khuzestan province, and Abadan found itself at the front line of what would become the Iran–Iraq War. For 11 months the city endured a full siege, subjected to relentless Iraqi artillery shelling and aerial bombardment. Despite the intensity of the assault, Iraqi troops never managed to capture the city. In September 1981, Iranian forces finally broke the siege of Abadan. The human and material cost was staggering. The Abadan Refinery, which before the war had a capacity of 628,000 barrels per day and was the largest refinery on Earth, was badly damaged or destroyed. Much of the urban fabric suffered the same fate. Before the conflict, the city's civilian population stood at about 300,000; by the war's end, nearly the entire populace had fled to other parts of Iran. In the aftermath, the biggest concern was restoring the refinery, which had been reduced to 10% of capacity due to damage. Limited operations resumed in 1993 alongside the reopening of the port, and by 1997 production had climbed back to pre-war levels.

Political Upheaval & the Cinema Rex Fire

Though Abadan was not a major cultural or religious centre, 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 movie theatre was set ablaze, killing 430 people. In the chaos, public anger was directed at the local police chief, the Shah, and the SAVAK intelligence service. The reformist newspaper Sobh-e Emrooz published an editorial revealing that radical Islamists were the true perpetrators, acting to deepen public distrust of the government and to target cinema as a perceived American cultural link. The paper was shut down immediately afterwards. The fire, one of four during a short period in August, became a rallying point that kept the Islamic Revolution moving ahead. The city's political significance stretched further back: during World War II, Abadan was a major logistics centre for Lend-Lease aircraft being sent to the Soviet Union by the United States. More 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.