In “Acquiring Modernity,” Farah al-Nakib writes that, “the first Kuwait National Museum was established in 1957 by Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in what used to be the Diwan of Sheikh Khaz’al, the former ruler of Muhammerah. In 1960, Kuwait launched an architectural competition for the design of its second National Museum. In 1961, French architect Michel Ecochard won, but his design was never completed until 1983. The design, though is internationally recognized as his masterpiece, is however, locally stigmatized and perceived as faulty.” Sadly, during the 1990 Invasion, the museum was severely damaged and looted. The Hall of Archaeology is really neat if you’re interested in the ancient history of Kuwait. There is also the Heritage Museum hall, which details the more recent history of Kuwait.
These artifacts come from the Hellenistic Period, during which Failaka Island was part of the Seleucid Empire.
The black and white photo below comes from this flickr gallery. The photos showing the museum under construction come from here. The book cover was posted on the Instagram of Hasan Ashkanani. You can see the Kuwait National Museum with Bayt al Badr and the Sadu House next to it. Behind the museum is the Al Sayer Eastern Mosque. Further in the distance is the Palace of Justice, which was facing the potentiality of being demolished recently, but is apparently no longer. The last photos are from a 1985 magazine found on eBay.
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