Abadan is thought to have been further developed into a major port city under the
Abbasids' rule. The city was then a commercial source of salt and woven
mats. Politically, Abadan was often the subject of dispute between the nearby states. In 1847, Persia acquired it from the
Ottoman Empire 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 consul,
Percy Cox, assisted by
Arnold Wilson, and
Sheik Khaz'al agreed to a rental agreement for the island, including Abadan. The Sheik continued to administer the island until 1924. 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). Refinery throughput numbers rose from 33,000 tons in 1912–1913 to 4,338,000 tons in 1931. Later, 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 in Abadan, after the government had decided to nationalise the oil facilities, 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, which allowed a consortium of international oil companies to manage the production and refining on the island. That continued until 1973, when the
NIOC took over all facilities. 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. 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. The fire was one of four during a short period in August, with other fires in
Mashhad,
Rizaiya, and
Shiraz. 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. 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. 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. 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 ==Recent events==