Būshehr

Būshehr, also Abu Shehr, town and seaport in south-west Iran, and capital of Būshehr Province on the Persian Gulf. Būshehr is a major fishing and commercial port, and its industries include seafood canneries, food-processing plants, and engineering. In 1975 the government began building twin nuclear reactors at Būshehr for an electricity generating plant, but this was only partially completed before Iraqi bombing raids during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) halted construction. After the war Iran attempted to secure international aid to complete the nuclear reactors, but this was opposed by the United States. In 1995, however, Russia signed an agreement to make the facility operational. Būshehr has an airport, and highways connect the city to Āvāz to the north-west and Shīrāz to the north-east. A secondary coastal road links Būshehr to Bandar-e ‘Abbās to the south-east.

Būshehr was once the terminus of an important caravan route, but the city remained only a small fishing village until 1734 when Nadir Shah made it a naval base. The British and Dutch transferred their regional commercial offices there in the late 18th century, and in the 19th century the town was prominent as the British diplomatic and commercial headquarters for the Persian Gulf. Būshehr began to decline in the 20th century until the government undertook a major development programme in the 1960s. Population (1991) 132,824.