Not being familiar with the sights and places of interest on offer in Kuwait, I was staggered by the list of options my hired driver presented me with on my first day. I suppose I, like many others, had my perception clouded by the stereotype and was expecting little other than oil refineries and maybe the odd shopping mall.
I was wrong. Omar, the Hertz driver I had hired to take me around the sights, said that I should make my first stop the National Museum, once the pride of Kuwait.
I say once because during the Iraq invasion many pieces were looted and others were smashed and burned. Iraq has since returned around 90 per cent of the artifacts it removed and they are now back on display, but sadly many items have suffered due to poor storage and transportation conditions.
This is a real shame, because the museum is home to the Dar Al-Athar Al-Islamiyyah — an extensive collection of Islamic art ranging from early Islam to the 18th century. The beautiful but slightly faded pieces are comprehensively laid out according to historical period and geographical region, and the upper floor is a gallery devoted entirely to the work of Kuwaiti artists.
Next door to the museum is the Sadu house, a Bedouin cultural center founded in 1979 to halt the decline in traditional Bedouin crafts. Part museum, part market place; the center offers spectacular examples of Sadu weaving — geometric designs woven by hand with dyed spun and colored wool.
You can watch the women at work, and if time allows, courses are available for those wanting to learn the craft for themselves. The center is the best place in Kuwait for those wanting to buy Bedouin crafts with pillow cases and small bags offered at bargain prices.
Several chambers of the building are decorated with pottery depicting Kuwait’s old houses and mosques. A peaceful café serving delicious coffee made a perfect rest-stop before pushing on.
I had planned on heading straight to Kuwait Towers, but Omar suggested that I might want to stop and look at two of the city’s most scenic buildings on the way. The first was the Seif Palace, an opulent building that is the official seat of the emir’s court. The other, directly opposite, was the imposing Grand Mosque.
The mosque is a phenomenal building designed to accommodate 5,000 worshippers in the main hall with room for another 7,000 in the courtyard. Opened in 1986 and costing KD14 million to build, it also boasts the country’s tallest minaret standing at 74 meters.
After I had admired these two architectural landmarks Omar whisked me off to the famous Kuwait Towers, their futuristic design providing a complete contrast.
The tower complex is made up from two giant needles containing globular water tanks and a single needle which is used to light up the other two towers. Up to 4.5 million gallons of water can be stored in the globes which give the towers their unique appearance.
The largest of the three towers rises 187 meters and houses an observation platform commanding excellent views over the city. A restaurant is also available on this platform, and I was unable to resist taking the opportunity to dine with such stunning views.
I was surprised when, after lunch, Omar informed me that there was an even taller tower to be seen in Kuwait. Intrigued, I was only too happy to take up his suggestion that we head for the Liberation Tower — a monument standing 40 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Designed as a symbol of Kuwaiti liberation, the tower dominates the landscape as you approach. One of the tallest telecommunication towers in the world; the building has the trademark futuristic look that seems to have been favored by city planners in recent years.
I jumped out of the car to take a wander around the base of the tower, which is immaculately finished with gleaming ceramic tiles. I was impressed by how scrupulously neat and well tended the surrounding area was — such a vivid contrast from the war-decimated city I was perhaps rather naively expecting.
My final stop for the day was at the sprawling City Souk: A shopper’s paradise. This vast labyrinth of stalls selling everything from traditional Bedouin crafts, to kitsch jewelry, to spices, offers a great way to pass an afternoon. I spent a thoroughly enjoyable two hours simply browsing the different wares on offer.
The following morning Omar picked me up from my hotel and we headed out of the city to the Al-Ahmadi Oil Display Center. I was a little unsure about what exactly would be on offer but was pleasantly surprised to discover an extremely comprehensive introduction to Kuwait’s oil industry.
A series of displays tell you everything you need to know about oil and the history of its extraction in Kuwait. I was astounded to find out just how many different things oil is used for besides the obvious petrol.
The Japanese Garden at the complex is well worth a visit. In a joint project the Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research and the Japanese Petroleum Energy Center were able to avert an environmental catastrophe by using biological processes to render harmless the vast oil lakes left behind after the Iraqi invasion.
More than 4,000 cubic-meters of oil contaminated soil were composted and biovented to produce safe, top quality soil. The Japanese Garden has utilized this soil and visitors are greeted with attractive landscaping and flourishing flowerbeds. A truly remarkable tribute to the efforts of those who worked to avoid an ecological disaster.
The Al-Hashemi Marine Museum was my next stop, and so we headed back into the city to the home of the world’s largest dhow. The Al-Hashemi II is the museum’s lavish show-piece, but it is interesting to stroll around and take a look at the 12 model dhows on display.
The museum is a celebration of Kuwait’s traditional pearl diving and fishing industries and as well as the dhows there is a range of traditional seafaring artifacts to greet the visitor.
I continued my maritime theme at my next stop, the Scientific Center which houses the largest aquarium in the Middle East. I was mesmerized by the underground passages recreating the natural habitats of the sea and it was fascinating to learn more about the region’s diverse marine life.
The scientific center is also home to an IMAX cinema, an entertainment center for children, and a dhow harbor. It was in this harbor that I finished up for the day, taking a pleasant stroll and admiring the Fateh Al-Khair — the last surviving wooden dhow of the pre-oil era.
Kuwait has well and truly moved on from the Iraqi invasion, and with a growing list of attractions on offer for the visitor, it will not be long before the place is once again firmly on the tourist map.
Hiring a driver was certainly one of the best ways of getting around and seeing the city. Omar works for Hertz Kuwait and they offer a range of chauffer packages starting from KD23 for an eight-hour day.
