Abadan

Abadan is a city within the Emirate of Khuzistan, at the confluence of the Karun and Shat el Arab rivers, the latter being the river in which the waters of the Euphrates and Tigris are united. Founded in the 11th century, it developed into a transshipment port under Abbasid rule; however, by the 14th century, the siltation of the delta forced the population further from the water, so that in 1650 it's just a small port on a flat, salty plain.

Located nearby Abadan are many naturally occurring surface deposits of mineral pitch, or neft, which is distilled into a highly volatile mineral oil called naphtha. The distillation process is limited by 17th century technology, but nonetheless is able to produce a lamp oil with a boiling temperature of 175°C. — which makes naphtha highly volatile by the time period's standard.