Kuwait has had three city walls in its history–the first was built in 1760, the second in 1811, and the third in 1920. In Modern History of Kuwait, Abu Hakima tells us a traveler who visited Kuwait in 1863 remarked that the town had 15,000 inhabitants at the time and that the gates of the wall were left open after sunset to allow the Bedouins to enter and have an evening meal inside. “The only condition enforced upon them when entering the gates was to lay their arms outside to ensure the town’s safety.” Hakima continues that, “although the wall was built of mud and could be heavily damaged by rain, it still served as an adequate defense against raids as recently as the early twentieth century.” In Voice of the Oud, Jehan Rajab tells us that the third city wall of Kuwait, built in 1920, originally included four gates: Jahra Gate, Shamiya Gate, Braiasi Gate (located in Shaheed Park today), and Dasman Gate. Maqsab Gate, today across the street from the Holy Family Cathedral, was added later. You can see Al Maqsab below as well as its miniature figure in Shaheed Park. The older photos come from Voice of the Oud.