Torch of Abadan
National Iranian Oil Company's newsletter, Mash'al-e-Abadan
By Jahanshah Javid
Updated May 24, 2004
iranian.com
The following pages are from the National Iranian
Oil Company's newsletter -- Mash'al-e-Abadan, "Torch
of Abadan" --
published from October 1965 to January 1966. They were bound
and given
to me
by my mother,
the
late
Shirin
Bakhtiar, who was the newsletter's reporter/editor.
Her reign did not
last very long, though. As you will see,
some of
the
content
and design
is not what you would expect to see in an official company
newsletter in a little town at the
tip
of the Persian Gulf in the mid-60s. It was too artistic (and
weird) for an audience largely made up of engineers.
It was years after starting iranian.com that I found out about
these newsletters and the extent of my mother's involvement
-- or adventures -- in journalism. Even so, the similarities
between Mash'al-e-Abadan and
iranian.com are obvious, to me at least. They are an odd mix
of hard and soft content.
I understand why my mother
was asked to stop working on the newsletter.
She was having way too much fun with it. She specifically
mentioned that she was scolded for publishing -- on the front
cover -- a photograph of smiling fireworkers casually hanging
around
their fire
truck. It promotes chaos and lack of discipline, she was told,
basically.
Oh
how wonderful it is to publish whatever your heart desires...
From the very beginning until her death last November, my mother
was my biggest moral and financial supporter. Reproducing her Mash'al-e-Abadan is
my little gift to her on this Mother's Day. [See
her at work in the General Office in the late 60s here]
Mash'al-e-Abadan
* 13 January, 1966
* 6 January, 1966
* 30 December, 1965
* 23 December, 1965
* 16 December, 1965
* 9 December, 1965
* 2 December, 1965
* 25 November, 1965
* 18 November, 1965
* 11 November, 1965
* 4 November, 1965
* October 29, 1965
To top
Mash'al-e-Abadan, Thursday, 13 January, 1965
-- COVER: Technicians
school (recommended)
-- PAGE 2: Staff
on
overseas assignment
-- PAGE 3: Boat
and karting races (recommended)
-- PAGE 4: Technicians
school staff (recommended)
-- PAGE 5: Technicians
(2) (recommended)
-- PAGE 6 Archaeoloy:
Abadan
Museum (recommended)
-- PAGE 7: Roundabout
town (recommended)
-- PAGE 8: Movies
of the week
To top
Mash'al-e-Abadan, Thursday, 6 January, 1965
-- COVER: Refinery
telephone exchange (recommended)
-- PAGE 2: AIT
Engineering Lab completion
-- PAGE 3: On
overseas assignment (recommended)
-- PAGE 4: Refinery
telephone exchange (recommended)
-- PAGE 5: Telephone
exchange (2) (recommended)
-- PAGE 6 About
Mozart (recommended)
-- PAGE 7: Roundabout
town (recommended)
-- PAGE 8: Movies
of the week
To top
Mash'al-e-Abadan, Thursday, 30 December, 1965
-- COVER: Abadan
fire fighters (recommended)
-- PAGE 2: Princess
Fatimeh tours Abadan (recommended)
-- PAGE 3: Editor
of Tehran Journal (recommended)
-- PAGE 4: The
fire station staff (recommended)
-- PAGE 5: The
fire station (2) (recommended)
-- PAGE 6 Abadan
Kart Club (recommended)
-- PAGE 7: Roundabout
town (recommended)
-- PAGE 8: Movies
of the week
To top
Mash'al-e-Abadan, Thursday, 23 December, 1965
-- COVER: Charles
Dickens' "A
Christmas
Tree" (recommended)
-- PAGE 2: Christmas
greetings from senior staff (recommended)
-- PAGE 3: Tube
bundle farm &...
-- PAGE 4: Oil
company catering (recommended)
-- PAGE 5: The
life of Charles Dickens
-- PAGE 6 Children's
International
Variety Show (recommended)
-- PAGE 7: Staff
foreign wives on Christmas in their country
-- PAGE 8: Wives
on Christmas continued
-- PAGE 9: The
life of Charles Dickens
-- PAGE 10:
Keeping Abadan safe on Christmas (recommended)
-- PAGE 11 Christmas
activities in Abadan (recommended)
-- PAGE 12: Movies
of the week
To top
Mash'al-e-Abadan, Thursday, 16 December, 1965
-- COVER: Acconts
clear the way for business...
-- PAGE 2: Army
Day photo & House
to widow of worker
-- PAGE 3: More
reliable electricity, winner of Hedayat Cup &...
-- PAGE 4: Accounts
dept heads (all foreigners) (recommended)
-- PAGE 5: Accounts
handles millions
(2) (recommended)
-- PAGE 6: A
professor and other visitors to Abadan (recommended)
-- PAGE 7: Roundabout
town (recommended)
-- PAGE 8: Movies
of the week & ...
To top
Mash'al-e-Abadan, Thursday, 9 December, 1965
-- COVER: Top
visitors, 5th school, Salzburg Duet...
-- PAGE 2: Literacy
corps leaders; appointments...
-- PAGE 3: New
school in Bahmanshir; farewell to Britton
-- PAGE 4: Oil
company laundry depot (recommended)
-- PAGE 5: Laundry
depot
(2) (recommended)
-- PAGE 6: American
illustrator Bill Berry in Abadan (recommended)
-- PAGE 7: Roundabout
town (recommended)
-- PAGE 8: Movies
of the week & ...
To top
Mash'al-e-Abadan, Thursday, 2 December, 1965
-- COVER: Khuzestan
government heads; printing
-- PAGE 2: Government
heads see oil industry
-- PAGE 3: Men
and machines of NIOC
printing (recommended)
-- PAGE 4: The
grand opera houses of the world
-- PAGE 5: opera
houses (2)
-- PAGE 6: Radio
programmer Hassan Shahbaz (recommended)
-- PAGE 7: Round
about town (recommended)
-- PAGE 8: Movies
of the week & ...
To top
Mash'al-e-Abadan, Thursday, 25 November, 1965
-- COVER: B.
E. & S., Nurses, Off to Golf and Tehran Visit
-- PAGE 2: Medical
students in U.S., Karaj agri students &...
-- PAGE 3: Budget,
Economics and Statistics (B.E. & S) staff
-- PAGE 4: Abadan
Nurses Training School (recommended)
-- PAGE 5: Abadan
Nurses (2) (recommended)
-- PAGE 6: Introducung
New York Times reporter Thomas F. Brady (recommended)
-- PAGE 7: Round
about town (recommended)
-- PAGE 8: Movies,
bridge games & ...
To top
Mash'al-e-Abadan, Thursday, 18 November, 1965
-- COVER: NIOC
Chariman Manoochehr Eghbal at refinery
-- PAGE 2: Afghan
Crown Prince with wife welcomed in Abadan
-- PAGE 3: Engineers
honor new General Refinery Manager
-- PAGE 4: Abadan
Boat Club (1) (recommended)
-- PAGE 5: Abadan
Boat Club (2) (recommended)
-- PAGE 6: Introducung
author
Leonard Fanning & ....
-- PAGE 7: Round
about town (recommended)
-- PAGE 8: Movies,
bridge games & ... (recommended)
To top
Mash'al-e-Abadan, Thursday, 11 November, 1965
-- COVER: 20
government heads from Abadan & Khorramshahr
-- PAGE 2: Oil
production
& exploration stats, royal telegram
-- PAGE 3: H.H.
Coppers, outgoing refinery manager
-- PAGE 4: Chess,
a nice and abstruse game
-- PAGE 5: Commentary
on idiot savants
-- PAGE 6: Party
for new general manager (recommended)
-- PAGE 7: Round
about town (recommended)
-- PAGE 8: Movies,
bridge games & ... (recommended)
To top
Mash'al-e-Abadan, Thursday,
4 November, 1965
-- COVER:
Happy Birthday Crown Prince Reza
-- PAGE
2: First Iranian General Refinery Manager (recommended)
-- PAGE 3: Company
news
-- PAGE 4: Turkish,
English and Japanese gardens
-- PAGE 5: Persian
and American gardens
-- PAGE 6: Abol
Ghassem Taheri: Inja Landan Ast (recommended)
-- PAGE 7: Round
about town (recommended)
-- PAGE 8: Movies,
bridge games & ... (recommended)
To top
Mash'al-e-Abadan, Thursday, October 29, 1965
-- Cover: Mohammad
Reza Shah's birthday
-- PAGE 2: Tehran
refinery, Royal telegram...
-- PAGE 3: Who's
who in engineering and construction
-- PAGE 4: The
astronomer's drinking song
-- PAGE 5: Excerpts
from Rene Descartes
-- PAGE 6: Appointments,
Inoculations...
-- PAGE 7: Round
about town (recommended)
-- PAGE 8: Movies,
bridge games & ... (recommended)
To top
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