There has been human settlement in Kuwait for thousands of years. The oldest boat remains ever discovered anywhere in the world were found in Kuwait, dating back 7,000 years. There are prehistoric graves, such as at Kadhima, al Radha, and Faydhat Nayif. Around 4,000 years ago, Failaka Island was part of the Dilmun Civilization, primarily based on modern-day Bahrain. Later, Hellenistic civilization reached the island during the Seleucid Empire and during the Middle Ages were was a Christian monastery in the center of the island. Today, you can visit these archaeological sites on Failaka Island.

On Failaka there used to be a shrine dedicated to Al Khidr, best known for his interactions with Prophet Musa in Surah Al-Kahf. Khidr is said to have become immortal after he drank from the Fountain of Life. Failaka may have been the Garden of Eden in some ancient sources and so perhaps this is where Khidr achieved immortality. The shrine was likely built in the late 19th century. It was believed that Khidr spent every Thursday on Failaka on route to Friday prayer in Mecca. In the 1930s Freya Stark wrote that Failichawis would line the path to the shrine with small heaps of seaweed. Women went to the shrine in order to ask for their infertility to be cured. In 1976, the government demolished the shrine.

The name “Kuwait” is derived from the word “Kut” which means “small fort.” In Shipmasters of Kuwait, Khaled Bourisly writes that a small fort was built in 1613 by a tribe known as Bani Khaled. In the 17th century tribes from the Najd region who were collectively known as the Bani Utub migrated to the area. Farah Al Nakib writes in her work Kuwait Transformed that when the Bani Utub arrived there were some fishermen’s forts along with the small fort. Over time, the settlement grew. The economy was based on fishing, pearl diving, and trading. Here are old photographs of how Kuwait in the early 20th century:

Most structures in Kuwait were built from mudbrick, including a wall that encircled the town. The third and final version of the wall was built in 1920. It originally had four gates and in 1927, a fifth was added. Oil was discovered in Burgan in 1938, a definitive turning point in Kuwaiti history. With the First Master Plan of 1950, the city was dramatically reconfigured and most of “Old Kuwait” was destroyed. The mudbrick city wall was bulldozed in 1957, but the five gates were preserved, which you visit around Kuwait City today. Below you can read about some other historic sites dated to before the urban transformation of Kuwait beginning in 1950:

In the mid 18th century, the Sabah family was selected to provide political leadership to the town. Outside the walls of Kuwait City was “the oasis of Al-Jahra, whose wells provided water for orchards and date palms. The oasis was the site of two palatial villas, one of which was known as the Red Palace.” (Souad Al Sabah, Mubarak al-Sabah) The Red Palace/Fort was the site of an important battle in 1920 between Ikhwan and Kuwaiti forces. Today, it houses a heritage museum.

Sheikh Mubarak al-Sabah ruled Kuwait from 1896 to 1915. In a work about him, Souad M. Al-Sabah credits him with, “laying down the principles of sovereignty in the country.” In her work Kuwait Transformed, Farah Nakib writes that, “local tradition claims that the Al Sabah had taken over the Bani Khalid fort [kut] when they came to power in 1752. In 1860, the residence of ruler Sabah al-Jaber was described as a ‘ruin,’ which may have been the Bani Khalid fort in disrepair. By the 1890s, the rulers’ residence was located next to the port in the center of the town’s coastline.” This was Seif Palace. In 1904 Sheikh Mubarak imposed a 2% customs tax on mercantile imports and used this money to turn Al-Seif into a luxurious complex.

Mubarakiya, the old souq of Kuwait, was established more than 120 years ago by Sheikh Mubarak. There are many historic sites within the market, including this “kishkh” or kiosk built by Mubarak.

Another notable site in Mubarakiya is Safat Square. In pre-oil Kuwait Town, it was the large, open-air market just outside of the city limits. The Bedouin tribes of the surrounding hinterland set up temporary stalls where they traded their desert produce, such as milk, butter, ghee, horses, and sheep with the townspeople in exchange for dates, clothing, firearms, salt and manufactured items. Over time, the urban souq extended into al-Safat. The nature of the space began to change, people built cafés and other businesses.

During the reign of Sheikh Mubarak “Kuwait underwent a wide-ranging process of social change. The first state school was founded, inaugurating modern education in the country, the first national welfare society was created, and the first hospital was established to provide healthcare for all.” (Souad Al Sabah) American missionaries constructed this hospital between 1911-14. It closed in 1967. After sitting vacant for many years, the building was renovated and it now houses a collection of Islamic art.

Khazaal Palace was built in 1916 for Sheikh Khaz’al of Muhammarah, a friend of Sheikh Mubarak. After his death, his widow continued to live in the building for some time. From 1957 to 1976, the palace served as the National Museum of Kuwait (until the current one was built). The palace began to deteriorate, was further damaged during the invasion, and is in quite bad shape today.

Across the street from this palace is Bait Al Ghanim, also built by Sheikh Khaz’al around the same time. As of 2022, the building is under renovation. Below are some photos of the house from 2009.

Diwaniyas are an important part of Kuwaiti life. According to this Kuwait News Agency article, “for hundreds of years, the diwaniya has been the focal point for gatherings in Kuwait with various discussions touching all aspects of life in the country. Historians have traced the origins of the diwaniya, which means a gathering hall in Kuwaiti dialect, to 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.” Along Gulf Road there are a few historic diwans, including Al Shamlan (built in 1918), Alasousi and AlNusif.

According to Britannica, “toward the end of the century, one ruler, ʿAbd Allāh II (r. 1866–92), began to move Kuwait closer to the Ottoman Empire, although he never placed his country under Ottoman rule. That trend was reversed with the accession of Mubārak the Great. Ottoman threats to annex Kuwait prompted Mubārak to cultivate a close relationship with Britain. An 1899 treaty basically granted Britain control of Kuwait’s foreign affairs. Following the outbreak of World War I (1914–18), Kuwait became a British protectorate. On June 19, 1961, Britain recognized Kuwait’s independence.” Bait Dickson is a home built around the turn of the century. In 1929 the British Political Agent HRP Dickson and his wife Violet moved into the house. Harold Dickson died in 1959, but Violet continued to live in Kuwait until 1990, when Iraq invaded and she was evacuated. She died in England in January of 1991. Today the home is a museum.

Naif Palace was built in 1919 near Shamiya Gate, one of the five gates of the old city wall. During Ramadan you can visit to see a cannon blast at the time of iftar. Recently, it was granted Islamic Heritage site status.

There are many historic mosques around Kuwait City. In his article Historic Mosques in Kuwait, Hossam M. Mahdy writes that, “by the seventies almost all the urban fabric of the old city was gone. Old mosques were not demolished for religious reasons and whenever the master plan suggested a road or any other development on the site of an old mosque, the plan was altered to allow the mosque to survive. Today the remaining old mosques stand like dwarfs amongst huge office buildings, multi-story car parks, and ultra-modern shopping malls. They form a good part of the very little that remains from the architectural heritage of Kuwait.” Here are a few:

Bait Ghaith, located in Sharq, was built in the 1930s. Sharq (to the east) and Jibla (to the west) are the two main sea-facing quarters in Kuwait City. In her work Kuwait Transformed Farah al-Nakib tells us that in pre-oil times, Jibla was known as the mercantile quarter and was the hub of the urban oligarchy who controlled the deep-sea carrying trade but weren’t necessarily sailors themselves. Sharq was known as the maritime quarter and was home to those more directly engaged in seafaring, such as pearl merchants. Sharq, “also absorbed most of the newcomers to the town… and became the largest and most culturally heterogeneous district.” Al-Nakib also writes that, “houses in the pre-oil town were not used as projections of social status or as makers of ethnic identity” and that “most looked the same from the outside.” You can see how the house fell into disrepair, but thankfully it was not torn down and instead was renovated by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters.

Another historic home is Bait Sadu. On their website they write, “Sadu House, a traditional Kuwaiti house, was built in 1936 by the head of an affluent family, Youssef Al Marzouk. The house overlooked the seafront and incorporated four open courtyards with many Indian decorative influences, exemplified in the decorations on the wooden doors brought from Karachi, and the iron units on the windows. In 1938 the house came under the ownership of Youssef Shereen Behbehani who added a new floor and European style fireplaces in the diwaniya rooms. In the 1970s the house was purchased by the State under the Ministry of Information and later was acquired by the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters. In the 1980 it embraced the tradition of weaving and became the home of weavings and textiles – Sadu House.””

The twenty eight-house Behbehani Complex was built in the 1940s and is named after its developer, Yusuf Behbehani. After the Behbehani family left in the 1960s, the complex fell into disrepair before further destruction during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Today, most the units are not residential and are instead commercial, including the Dar Al Funoon art gallery.

Bait Al Othman, located in Hawally, was built in the 1940s. Hawally was a small village located outside of the old mudbrick wall that was a popular picnic spot. In his work Shipmasters of Kuwait, Khaled Boursily describes the area before its modern urbanization. He writes, “Hawally was a little village before the 1940s set in. It had many water-wells and was a major source supplying drinking water for the entire Kuwait City. Nothing remains of that quaint village today.” Bait Al Othman was renovated and turned into a museum in 2013.