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Abadan
Abadan is a city in the Khuzestan province in
southwestern Iran (Persia). It lies on Abadan
Island (68 km/42 mi long, 3-19 km or 2-12 miles
wide, the island is bounded in the west by the
Shatt al-Arab waterway and to the east by the
Bahmanshir outlet of the Karun River), 53
kilometers (33 mi) from the Persian Gulf, near
the Iraqi-Iran border. It is the capital of
Abadan County. In 2005, the population was
estimated to be at 415,139. The civilian
population of the city dropped to near zero
during the eight-years Iran–Iraq War. In 1992,
only 84,774 had returned to live in the city. By
2001, the population had jumped to 206,073, only
to double in the past five years.
Etymology
Ahmad ibn Yahya al-Baladhuri (d.892) quotes the
story that the town was founded by 'Abbad bin
Hosayn from the Arabian Tribe of Banu Tamim, who
established a garrison there during the
governorship of Hajjaj in the Ummayad period. An
Iranian etymology of the name (from the Persian
word "ab" (water) and the root "pā" (guard,
watch) thus "coastguard station"), was suggested
by B. Farahvashi. Supporting evidence is the
name "Apphana" which Ptolemy applies to an
island off the mouth of the Tigris. The Persian
version of the name had begun to come into
general use before it was adopted by official
decree in 1935. The geographer Marcian also
renders the name "Apphadana" and "Estoban
Mendez" in his writings.
History
Darkhuien oil field behind Abadan.
Abadan is thought to have originally developed
as a port city under the Abbasids' rule.
Legendarily, it was founded by a holy man, 'Abbad.
In this time period, it was a commercial source
of salt and woven mats. The siltation of the
river delta forced the town further away from
water; Ibn Battutah described Abadan as a small
city in a flat salty plain. Politically, Abadan
was often the subject of dispute between the
nearby states; in 1847, Persia acquired it, 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 this tribe, Mohaysen, had
its headquarters at Mohammara (present-day
Khorramshahr), until the removal of Shaikh
Khaz'al Khan in 1924.
Ruins of a building in Abadan. Abadan had
suffered serious damages during Iran–Iraq War
(1980-88), including Saddam's deadly chemical
weapons.
It was not until the 20th century that rich oil
fields were discovered in the area. In 1910, the
population had been around 400. The
Anglo-Persian Oil Company built their first
pipeline terminus oil refinery in Abadan,
starting in 1909 and completing it in 1913 (see
Abadan Refinery). By 1938, it was the largest in
the world. To this day it remains a vast
facility for refining petroleum. The facilities
necessitated an equally vast population: more
than 220,000 people in 1956.
Only a low 9% of managers (of the oil company)
were from Khuzestan. The proportion of natives
of Tehran, the Caspian, Azarbaijan and Kurdistan
rose from 4% of blue collar workers to 22% of
white collar workers to 45% of managers. Thus
while Arabic speakers were concentrated on the
lower rungs of the work force, managers tended
to be brought in from some distance.
On August 19, 1978-the anniversary of the US
backed pro-Shah coup d'état which overthrew the
nationalists and popular Iranian prime minister,
Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh — the Cinema Rex, a movie
theatre in Abadan, Iran, was set ablaze by four
Islamic Revolution sympathizers in an attempt to
help the cause of Iran's Islamic Revolution. The
local Abadan police had taken notice, and became
suspicious of Hossein Takbali-zadeh and his
accomplices, and had started following the
arsonists as they were entering Cinema Rex. The
police decided to continue their surveillance
and track the group after they left the movie
theater. This incident ended up causing the
Cinema Rex Fire, where over 350 people perished.
At the trial, Hossein Takbali-zadeh stated that
his three accomplices by the names of Faraj,
Falah, and Yadollah had all burned in the fire.
In September 1980, Abadan was almost overrun
during a surprise attack on Khuzestan by Iraq,
marking the beginning of the Iran–Iraq War. For
18 months Abadan was besieged, but never
captured, by Iraqi forces. Much of the city,
including the oil refinery which was the world's
largest refinery with capacity of 680,000
barrels per day, was badly damaged or destroyed
by the siege and by bombing. Previous to the
war, the city's civilian population was about
300,000, but before it was over, most of the
populace had sought refuge elsewhere in Iran.
After the war, the biggest concern was the
rebuilding of Abadan's oil refinery. In 1993,
the refinery began limited operation & and the
port reopened. By 1997, the refinery reached the
same rate of production it was at before the
war.
Recent events
To honor the 100th anniversary of the refining
of oil in Abadan, city officials are planning an
"oil museum" The Abadan oil refinery was
featured on the reverse side of Iran's 100-rial
banknotes printed in 1965 and from 1971 to 1973.
Culture of Abadan
The people of Abadan have acquired an almost
legendary status throughout Iran for various
reasons. During the start of the Iran–Iraq War,
the neighboring city of Khorramshahr was taken
over by the invading Iraqi forces. Since Iran
had just gone through a revolution, the armed
forces were not adequately prepared so the
Iranian military was not able to mobilize
efficiently to challenge the invading Iraqis.
Instead, the Abadanis (people of Abadan), the
extent of which is debated, took up arms and
defended their city themselves. How many
Abadanis actually fought and how effective they
were depends on who you ask, but the Abadanis
have not been shy about retelling their war
stories which has led people from other parts of
the country to claim their war stories are
exaggerated since they seem so far-fetched.
Abadan and the Khuzestan province is also known
for producing many talented soccer players who
have gone on to play for the Iranian national
team. The local team, Sanat Naft Abadan (Oil
Company of Abadan) is called the 'Brazil of
Iran' because when the team was formed they
tried to imitate the Brazilian style of soccer.
They also share the same team colors as the
Brazilian national team.
Before the Iranian Revolution the city of Abadan
was a popular tourist destination. Abadan was
the main place for Iranian Singers concert's and
many international one. While the whole country
of Iran mostly were from religious people,
Abadani people had their own music genre which
is called Bandari and that's why all people of
Iran in memory of Abadan before Iran-Iraq War
say:'آبادان گلستان' "Abadan is Garden" , 'گلستان
آبادانه' "Garden is Abadan".
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