Kuwait

Visited: March 2023

Duration of visit: 4 days

Capital city: Kuwait City

Population: 4.45 million (2023): 1.45 million Kuwaiti, 3 million foreigners

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

• Kuwait Towers – the most famous landmark of Kuwait, that survived Iraqi occupation.
• Impressive and extensive Souq Al-Mubarakiya, that expands through various blocks in different specialized sections.
• The contrast of staying two nights in a luxury hotel in the city center and two days in residential area for foreign workers.
• Navigating the city in extremely efficient and inexpensive public transport: buses and shared taxis.
• Walking along an exemplary and smartly planned corniche with locals.
• Window shopping in The Avenues Mall, where luxury brands, design of boutique stores and illumination elevates shopping to a new level.
• Life changes during Ramadan – the obligation to refrain from food, drink, sexual activity and all forms of immoral behavior between dawn and dusk.
• Intriguing distribution of skyscrapers, that are inoffensively and well planned.
• The strongest currency in the world – Kuwaiti dinar. 1 KWD = 3.25US$.

I heard about Kuwait for the first time during the attack by Iraq in the course of the Gulf War in 1991, when the United States led a coalition to remove the Iraqi forces from Kuwait. At that time, Saddam Hussein, as the leader of Iraq, was the bad guy (who later paid for his sins by hanging), while Kuwait Sheiks and Emirs were the victims.

Since then, many mistakes, international provocations, constant political deadlock between the government and parliament, plus declining oil prices since the late 2010s have plunged Kuwait into one of the worst economic crises in the entire region.

My feelings before visiting Kuwait were not good at all, therefore my expectations were rather modest and conservative.

It was one of the last countries in Arabic world, that I hadn’t visited, therefore I decided to include it into my African Horn and Bahrain trip in 2023.

I was surprised by a rather small size of Kuwait airport and limited offer of flights to mostly regional destinations. Since I got my eVisa in advance, the passport control was straightforward and quick. I had to wait for 45 minutes, until the praying and dinner time was finished, before buying a SIM card.

I changed 100.00US$ to 32.000 Kuwaiti dinars. The strongest currency in the world made me careful to pay attention to three decimals that are used to express 1,000 fils which equal 1 KWD. It turned out that I had problems spending 100.00US$ during the next 4 days, since the accommodation was paid in advanced and the prices of transport, food and sightseeing were much lower than expected.

I walked to the bus station in front of the airport and immediately noticed the presence of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladesh workers, that are so typical for the Gulf region. I was introduced to an app City Link Shuttle, that offers shared taxi for a price of 1KWD to any destination within Kuwait City. I didn’t need it for my first transit to the city, but it was very useful in some occasions, where public transport was not available or it would take too much time.

The bus driver dropped me at Al-Shamlan Mosque and I decided to walk the last part to the Ramada Encore hotel, my home for the first two nights. There were some very high, slightly lit buildings on the way, not many people walking around, pleasant temperatures and safe atmosphere.

The best hotel on my trip at the best location in the downtown, surrounded by the highest skyscrapers in the city.

Until recently, a nomadic port town in the Persian Gulf in the heart of the country – the Kuwait City – has grown into a metropolitan area of approximately 3 million people, which represent more than 70% of the country population. Surprisingly, the city survived the Iraqi invasion without too much damage to the most remarkable landmarks that define the soul of the city. With the main mosque, Seif Palace, the parliament, government offices and the principal companies’ headquarters, it represents a political, cultural and economic center of the emirate.

Today, Kuwait City is an intriguing mix of wealthy Gulf metropolis, tough neighborhoods for foreign workers, pleasant parks and long corniche with many attractions that are perfectly matching with splendid skyscrapers growing around the city. It was probably due to Covid-19 effect and Ramadan period, that I didn’t manage to visit any of the indoor attractions.

The Grand Mosque was completely closed for visitors for the whole month of Ramadan and I only managed to approach the main entrance to appreciate the size and splendor from outside. The central prayer hall is in fact the largest area with 4 columns and can house nearly 10,000 men and up to 1,000 women in the separate hall for women.

Large number of vehicles are accommodated in the 5-level underground parking. With an area of 45,000m², out of which the building itself covers 20,000m², it is positioned as the 8^th largest mosque in the world. Beside the size, it is renowned for its Islamic architecture, the magnificence of gold leaf and saturated blues, impact of Persian and Andalusian styles. The splendid interior details will have to wait until my next visit.

The American Cultural Centre and Kuwait House for National Works Museum were temporarily closed, while a large part of the Kuwait National Museum had been closed and/or under construction for repairs since 2018. The whole area actually seemed abandoned. A neglected bench lined with faded cushions in front of the central entrance served me for a pleasant afternoon rest after a long walk.

Even with the most relevant indoor attractions closed, I found plenty of other reasons that kept me busy walking around for hours.

In the 1960s and 1970s Kuwait was the most developed country in the region.

Kuwait was the pioneer in the Middle East in diversifying its earnings away from oil exports. Many Arab writers and journalists moved to Kuwait due to the highest level of freedom of expression in the whole Arab world. Kuwaiti society embraced liberal and Western customs, most Kuwaiti women did not wear the hijab; at Kuwait University, mini-skirts were more common than the hijab.

The freedom started to change after the 1976 suspension of the parliament, when the Kuwaiti government strongly advocated Islamism throughout the 1980s. The ruling family, Al Sabah, was attracted to Islamists, preaching the virtues of a hierarchical order that included loyalty to the Kuwaiti monarchy. Islamists were able to colonize state agencies, Kuwait was transforming into an autocracy, liberal thinking was not appreciated any more.

My favorite spot in the city is the historic Souq Al-Mubarakiya. It used to be a center for trade, before shopping malls started to open and attract buyers in a more elegant way, with luxury, parking lots and air condition. The central market has been around for more than 200 years at the current location, damaged through Iraq invasion, but later restored. A perfect place to shop for fruits, vegetables, silk, gold and silver jewelry, clothes, food, sweets or simply for sightseeing.

Although the shops are well-structured and the vendors conduct themselves professionally, the atmosphere remains vibrant. No pressure for buying, perfectly exhibited products, lot of stands with similar products to choose from. Traditional coffee shops, tea houses and restaurants were closed during the day due to Ramadan, but the rest of the market was operating normally.

The best part is the organization in sections of similar products. There is a fruit market, moneychanger’s area, restaurants and eating area; the gold market offers a huge selection of jewelry, while fish market is as diverse as anywhere else around the world.

The whole area is covered and probably cooled in the hot summer months. The prices of fruits and nuts are the lowest in Kuwait, negotiation is needed to get better deals in non-food products. Most of the vendors are from Indian origin, while more prestige products, such as gold, is under control of Arabs or Kuwaiti sellers.

My original plan was to rent a car and explore the areas outside of the city, but it turned out that on that certain day the weather was extremely bad. Low clouds, poor visibility, gray skies, high humidity and strong winds diverted me from my original intention. Instead, I spent the morning writing notes and highlights from the current journey, while the afternoon was dedicated to a long walk along the corniche in the Marina Mall area.

Kuwait City is a modern metropolis mingling skyscrapers, apartment buildings, mosques, luxury shopping malls and well-organized networks of wide highways.

I’ve got a feeling that the planning is done much better than in many other Gulf cities, where public transport, pedestrian areas, parks or other green areas are not part of urban design. In Kuwait, skyscrapers are elegant, well designed and separated by a reasonable distance from each other. Therefore, they don’t interfere with existing infrastructure.

The best part of the modern city is the long corniche along the Kuwait Gulf, which offers opportunity for walks, cycling, running or even swimming at some sections. I didn’t see many people along the seaside, but the facilities were well maintained.

It took 12 years and four phases to build the most prestigious shopping mall in Kuwait – The Avenue Shopping Mall. The Grand Avenue is designed to feel like an outdoor space, covered with a transparent roof structure, reinforcing and enhancing the outdoor atmosphere. It seems that all shops try to add something more to the outdoor appearance and internal exhibition of goods. I noticed an upgrade even in Starbucks traditional design with a luxury version to fit into the upscale shopping mall.

The idea behind the main avenue was to make it feel as a grand shopping boulevard, gathering European and American influence to construct the special district, for example the Champs-Élysées or Rodeo Drive.

Famous exclusive brands such as Gucci, Dior and Louis Vuitton compete with many others that I have never heard of.

Due to Ramadan, people traffic was very limited, restaurants closed and stores almost without potential buyers. As soon as the evening prayer finished, people began to eat, drink and smile. I sat in the main food court, ate fruits and nuts to gain energy for the return to the area of Marina Mall, where predominantly Indian workers live. The best place to find authentic, inexpensive Indian food that was even more delicious after long day without proper food.

There are fish markets in any port, town or city that is located on the shores of a lake, river or sea. I had visited many of them and I had always appreciated the variety of fish and seafood that was available for sale. The Central Fish Market between the Dhow Harbour and the Sharq Shopping Mall is one of the best in the variety of species that I have attended in general. I didn’t see lobster, octopus, calamari or mollusks, but the variety of fish is incredible.

I stopped at a small stand, where a kind seller explained to me that he was offering a portfolio of 23 different kinds of fish to sell.

All of them fresh and caught by local fishermen in the nearby sea.

The stands are clean, well-organized, with prices written in Arabic. Sellers are in suspense as they await the arrival of rich buyers, that are usually dressed in traditional clothes and visible from a distance. They are accompanied by assistants, who push a trolley with the goods. Prices are negotiated in a stern tone with interchangeable looks. At the end, the vendors clean and dispatch the fish through the assistants, who faithfully follow their superiors in expectations of good tip.

After I scanned the covered market, I walked through the main gate to visit the nearby harbor, where medium size fishing boats are anchored. Fishermen were repairing nets, preparing the boats for next trip, loading ice and praying on the decks. The fleet is well organized, equipped with strong engines and compliant.

A group of three thin towers, called Kuwait Towers, are located on a promontory into the Persian Gulf, quite far from other populated areas. I walked for over 25 minutes from the nearest bus stop before approaching a quiet area with a small park, closed fish market and a wooden pier into the sea, from where a beautiful view to the towers opens.

The Towers were officially inaugurated in March 1979 and are regarded as a landmark and symbol of modern Kuwait. The main purpose of the towers is to store water and offer tourist attraction in the form of a café and a restaurant.

The main tower is rising at 187 meters and carries two spheres which contain water, restaurant and a café that completes a full turn every 30 minutes.

The second tower is 40 meters lower and serves as a water tower. The third tower does not store water, but houses equipment to illuminate the two larger towers. The symbol of Kuwait economic growth, as well as a tourist attraction, represents a combination of traditional Islamic design and modern architectural themes.

I was too early to go up to the restaurant or bar, but I really enjoyed the morning view of the towers. There were hardly any visitors around, McDonalds was closed due to Ramadan, calm sea and sandy beach in front of them added to the serene atmosphere. A group of Philippines took a photo of me, we had a short chat about life in Kuwait and I moved on.

Kuwait positively surprised me and I am very happy to have visited it. The city has much more to offer than I expected and four days were not enough to explore the whole country. Even though Kuwaiti dinar is the strongest currency in the world, the prices are quite reasonable. I stayed in an upscale hotel for just over 60.00US$ per night. Public transport is very efficient and inexpensive, authentic Indian, Asian or Arabic food can be found at markets, shops or restaurants.

On the other side, sky is the limit if we talk about luxury. Nevertheless, extravaganza and showing off is not as outstanding as in Dubai. It is impossible to get in touch with local people; the atmosphere with women fully covered and the feeling they are not an equal part of society, makes me sick. During Ramadan life is different, since many activities are limited, restaurants closed during the day and majority of people reduce work or other activities.

The bottom line, I liked Kuwait’s mix of tradition and modern development and was especially impressed by enormous souk and variety of fish at decent price.