According to this Kuwait Times article, “Al-Seif Street (now known as Gulf Road) was considered the most important and longest street in old Kuwait. It ran from Sharq to Qibla and included many famous landmarks and commercial and occupational centers that were the main backbone of the country’s economy and a source of livelihood in the past.” In Kuwait Transformed, Farah al Nakib writes, “street widening cut the city off from the space that once constituted the focal point of the town’s urbanism: the sahel. In the 1940s a small, single-lane road was constructed parallel to the sahel where they had previously been a footpath… by the end of the 1960s, the Ministry of Public Works began to construct a new coastal thoroughfare known as the Arabian Gulf Road. This much larger, limited-access, divided highway ‘sealed the city’s separation from the natural beauty of the harbor.'” Here are some of the important cultural and heritage sites along Gulf Road that you can see today:

Shuwaikh Beach: a popular beach front in Kuwait and a good starting point for walking

Al Salam Palace: in May of 1969, Nat Geo had an article on Kuwait. They reported that Al Salam Palace was, “Kuwait’s official guesthouse. Planned as the private pleasure dome of a royal sheikh… Peace Palace was purchased by the government $8,400,000. It witnesses glittering receptions held by and for the Emir.” Like many other buildings, the palace suffered severe destruction during the invasion. It was abandoned for many years, but was recently renovated. The older photographs below show the Al Salam Palace under construction in the early 60s. They come from Brett Jordan.

Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Center: opened in 2016, it is now one of Kuwait’s most distinguishable landmarks.

Al Maqsab Gate: one of Kuwait’s old city gates. There is a miniature park at Shaheed that features the gate.

Across the street is the Holy Family Cathedral, a Catholic Church built in 1966. The older photos come from Brett Jordan, Verity Cridland, and this account.

Behbehani House Complex: adjacent to the church, I’ve posted about this interesting complex here.

American Missionary Hospital: according to a paper by Khaled Albateni, the Arabian Mission was founded in 1890 to evangelize in the Middle East. In Kuwait, they “used medical services as their main missionary method in Kuwait.” They built this hospital in 1914, which may be on the site of the former “kut” from which the name “Kuwait” is derived. Behind the museum is the National Evangelical Church: behind the old American Missionary Hospital (now a museum) is a church where Father Emmanuel Benjamin Jacob Gharib serves. He is, according to this article, the first native priest of the Gulf.

Al Bahhar Entertainment Historical Village: according to Farah al Nakib in her work Kuwait transformed, this site was opened in 1986 to commemorate Kuwait Town’s maritime heritage. There is a library inside where you can find old books about Kuwait. According to Acquiring Modernity it was, “constructed in an attempt to build a bustling sea-side commercial experience filled with imported chains of shops and restaurants. It took the form of buildings of old Kuwait, yet the area it demolished was one of the last remaining clusters of old mudbrick buildings.”

Kuwait National Assembly: built between 1972 and 1985, you can see it under construction in the documentary Kuwait: A Dream Suspended at around the 12 minute mark. The authors of Modern Architecture Kuwait write that, “its unique silhouette, with waving roof lines and curved concrete canopy softly evoke natural shapes, and at the same time forms a narrative about human construction elements, such as the desert tents and sails, two interwoven essences of the country.” Nearby is Abdulaziz Al Othman Mosque: it is noteworthy because the Friday sermon is given in English

Kuwait National Museum: built in 1983, you could read about the museum in Acquiring Modernity.

Harbor Walk: across the street from the National Museum and National Assembly

Historic Mosques: one of the historic mosques in this area is Al-Sayer. In Kuwait Transformed, Farah Nakib writes that, “in 1923, Abdullah al-Sayer turned eight shops in the water market into awqaf for the maintenance of the Al Sayer mosque.” There is also Al Saeed mosque. According to Claudia Rushoud’s post on Instagram, this mosque was built in 1878 and is noteworthy due to its “short, stubby minaret,” which is much more traditional than the “tall, slender” minarets you typically see today. You can also see Al Sharhan, which dates back to the 19th century.

Sadu House: a museum located in a traditional home showcasing age-old artisanal handicraft

National Library of Kuwait: now open in the evenings! Al Seif Staircase: Just beyond the National Library there are some restaurants, behind which is this notable staircase. And Al Qibliyah School Cultural Center: a historic girls school, you can read a bit about its history here.

Old Central Bank of Kuwait: Kuwait’s Central Bank was established in 1959. According to the book Modern Architecture Kuwait, “after winning concept for the National Bank of Denmark in 1961, Arne Jacobsen was commissioned to design the Central Bank of Kuwait. Only nine years after its completion, the building was altered in order to get closer to what was the original intention of a more Islamic architectural structure.” The new central bank building, built in 2015, is also along Gulf Road and was designed by the same firm (HOK) that designed the famous Baku flame towers in Azerbaijan. And Al Seif Palace: dating back to the 19th century, it has been modified and expanded upon over the years

Seif Palace: one of the palaces in Kuwait. In the old postcard below you can see Al-Khaled Mosque and Seif Palace further down the road, as well as how the beach front once looked.

Grand Mosque: opened in 1986, you can read more about this impressive mosque on these posts by Maha Alessa. And Al Babtain Library for Arabic Poetry: built in 2002, the foundation behind the library hosts festivals to, “shed light on Arab contemporary poets… in order to hand down to the next generations the love of poetry.”

Al Shamlan Diwan: built over 100 years ago by a prominent ship merchant

Dickson House Museum: the home of British diplomat Violet Dickson for many years, it is now a great museum! Across the street is the old dhow harbor.

Dewan Alasousi and Diwan AlNusif: the Kuwait News Agency writes that, “for hundreds of years, the diwaniya has been the focal point for gatherings in Kuwait with various discussions touching on all aspects of life in the country. Historians have traced the origins of the diwaniya, which means a gathering hall in the Kuwaiti dialect, to the sea culture. Captains of fishing dhows and pearl merchants needed a place to conduct their business and from such humble beginnings, the idea of the diwaniya was born.”

In his work Shipmasters of Kuwait, Khaled Bourisly explains that private boat jetties are known as a “nig’ah” and that the historic Bourisly nig’ah was located where Souq Sharq, completed in 1998, is presently. Across the street from Souq Sharq is the Bourisly mosque, built in 1916. It is next to Spago, which is no longer open but I was once told by a friend was the “cool restaurant” in the 1990s. The historic Al Mannai mosque is nearby. You can also see Al-Sharqiya School, which opened in 1943. Khaled Bourisly attended this school after moving from the Muthana School. The Museum of Modern Art (more on this museum below) is located within the old AlSharqiya School for Girls

Thank you Allies Painting: painted after the war, you can see the painting in newer condition screen grabbed from a documentary from the early 90s.

Maritime & Modern Art Museums: two great museums next door to each other showcasing Kuwaiti artists and the history of Kuwait’s seafaring past. Nearby is also the restored Bait Ghaith

Qaser Fahad Al Salem: another historic abandoned home, you can see photographs of the interior here and here. It is nearby to Bait Alcedra (behind the cafe the Hub), a shop located within an old home from the 1920s

Sheikh Khazal Palace and Bait Al Ghanim: if you walk down Jasim Mohamad Al Bahar Street, across from Porto Ponas Cafe, you can see the ruins of these two structures