The following is the introduction chapter for a work I wrote during my residency with FIKAR, entitled A Love Letter to Failaka: Descriptions of the Island throughout History. It was beautifully formatted and bound by Paperhouse Studio. The piece below is missing the citations, which are numerous and were formatted in Chicago-style. If you have a question about any of the information, please feel free to message me (on the page “about”)! All the photographs below are mine.
Islands have always fascinated men and there is much evidence that all over the ancient world, they enjoyed a special reputation and sanctity as shrines of the gods… all islands, if they are to fulfill their mystical character, tend always to be filled with a sense of presence, of something half-glimpsed out of the corner of the eye, of sounds heard in dreams, uncertainly recollected on awakening, of groves stirring with unseen and elemental forces -Michael Rice, Search for Paradise Land, 1985
Failaka is a small island off the coast of Kuwait. Throughout its history, many have identified it as a sacred and holy place. It is said to be full of barakah, which can be defined as, “a beneficent force, of divine origin, which causes superabundance in the physical sphere and prosperity and happiness in the psychic order.” Jean-François Salles said that in the ancient world, Failaka was, “a religious centre of first importance… a land of the gods.” During the Bronze Age, settlers from the kingdom of Dilmun in modern-day Bahrain came to control the island and established a trading post. They built temples dedicated to Inzak, their tutelary deity who was believed to have created the date palm, regarded as a sacred plant. The Dilmunites left behind hundreds of, “small, exquisitely engraved, circular stamp seals.” Flemming Højlund calls them, “the finest remains from Kuwait’s ancient past.” Stamp seals served as merchant’s personal signatures used to sign agreements but may have also served as talismanic amulets. More than six-hundred stamp seals have been uncovered on the island. Michael Rice speculated that the high number could be attributed to the island’s sacred character.
There is a delightful feeling of security about islands on a holiday, like being tucked up in bed; though it would be horrid to be a prisoner on one for long, security being blissful only in small doses. Our longing to make it permanent is only one more proof of how little we understand our own happiness; ever accumulating the things which do not help us to live, ever piling buttresses to keep life out from our starved anaemic souls–so that the man who feels himself completely secure in this life probably scarcely notices the change when his relatives enclose him in the final stability of a coffin. -Freya Stark, Baghdad Sketches, 1937
Shortly before his death, Alexander the Great sent expeditions into the Gulf, which came across Failaka. According to classical sources, the island bore a temple dedicated to Artemis. Alexander named the island Ikaros after one in the Aegean Sea, where it is said that Icarus, the son of Daedalus, drowned. During the Hellenistic period following Alexander’s death, Failaka became part of the Seleucid Empire. Temples were erected in the southwest of the island. Pilgrims may have come visit them and to buy the terracotta figurines that were produced there, some of which served as magical votive offerings. There are an abundance of female figurines, which could serve as evidence for the particular veneration of goddesses on the island. In the early Islamic period, a Christian monastery was founded in the center of the island at al-Qusur, “following a long tradition of religious fervour in its sanctuaries.” According to legend, it was established by a solitary mystic. It may have served as a place of pilgrimage, just as the Greek temples had many centuries before.
So four thousand years ago there had been a temple to Inzak on Failaka; and two thousand years ago a temple of Artemis, as well as a factory for producing votive figurines of Greek gods and goddesses. It began to look as though Failaka had for some millennia been a holy island, a place of pilgrimage. As the idea went home I suddenly recalled that Failaka was still a holy island, still a place of pilgrimage.Was it possible that there was here a bridge across a gulf of four thousand years? -Geoffrey Bibby, Looking for Dilmun, 1969
Failaka’s identification as a sacred place continued into the modern era, with visitors noting that, “Failakah is remarkable chiefly for its tombs and shrines.” Sources reported that around the island’s primarily settlement, the village of Al-Zor, there were sixty or seventy graves of awliya or “friends of God” who were known for their piety. These graves included those of Mohamed al-Badawi, a devout man whose signet ring could not be removed after his death and Shaikh al Gharib, “a foreigner who was washed up on the shore and was buried there.” There was also, of course, the Al-Khidr Shrine. Saba George Shiber described it as, “al-Mazara,” a holy place of visitation. Hasan Ashkanani, describes the now demolished site as, “having a special place in the heart of the Kuwaiti people.”
Failaka has always been known among Failakans and Kuwaitis to be a very sacred island. It is said so often that the land is full of “barakah”. It is believed that dogs and snakes have never survived on this island. It is worth mentioning that those two animals are considered malignant in muslim culture. Yet the island was very famous for rearing rabbits and deer. The people of the island are considered very “superstitious” because they have many pious men’s “maqam” i.e. the tombs of the pious men. These tombs they regard as very sacred and pay visits to them. The “mazar” or “Maqam” of Khidre… is not a tomb which belongs to him, as he is supposed to be still alive. It is his “athar”, i.e. the place where it is believed that he walked, or even only put his foot. –Zubaydah Ali M. Ashkanani, Middle Aged Women in Kuwait: “Victims of Change,” 1988
The island lies twenty kilometers off the coast of Kuwait. Thousands of years ago, it may have been closer to mainland Kuwait, with rising sea levels having increased the distance since. Failaka sits within the Arabian Gulf, which has previously been known as the Lower Sea to the Sumerians, the Bitter Sea to the Assyrians, the Sea of the Rising Sun to the Babylonians, the Erythraean Sea to the Greeks.
The Gulf itself may well be called “The Sea of Curses,” possessed, if we are to believe the native seafarers, who ought to know, by seven-and-seventy devils. An almost land-locked sea, over five hundred miles long, but seldom much more than one hundred miles broad, it is encompassed on both sides with far-stretched deserts and stark, barren mountains. -Sir Valentine Chirol, When Pen and Brush in Eastern Lands When I Was Young, 1929
[During a helicopter ride] the island below looked beautiful, lying serene and peaceful with beaches lapped by a sparkling multicoloured sea. Many years later in early March 1991, I was to be reminded of that previous journey, as I stared down from an American Army helicopter as the oil-stained sea, the barbed wire and masses of ammunition which included cluster bombs, and the empty vandalised houses of the people of Failaka. -Jehan Rajab, Voice of the Oud, 1993
Failaka’s shape has been likened to a badly shaped wedge, a cashew, a triangle, and a crescent. It is only fourteen kilometers in length and six-and-a-half kilometers in breadth, but, “however small it might appear on maps, Failaka Island is not a minor place for the human civilisation.” The majority of the island’s surface is limestone covered by sand. It is almost entirely flat. Until they were excavated, the highest points on the island were 30-foot-tall mounds named Tell Sa’ad and Tell Sa’id, located in the southwestern corner of the island. The Danish would begin to dig here in 1958.
Failakah is low, the highest point being a mound 30 feet high in the westernmost part; at high spring tides it is broken in upon by the sea, and it is frequently not sighted when entering Kuwait Bay. –J.G. Lorimer, Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, 1908
The island, low and sandy, is born like Aphrodite of the watersand runs to shallow headlands half submerged -Freya Stark, Baghdad Sketches, 1937
Since the highest point out here is only a few meters above sea level, you have the impression… that nine-tenths of the island consists of sky. -Thorkild Hansen, Rejsedagbøger, 1969
About 25 minutes out from Salmiya, a ferry passenger headed for Failaka Island can see a thin, sand-colored, wavering line on the horizon. -Mary Ann Tetreault, Failaka Island: Unearthing the Past in Kuwait, 2013
In its phases of occupation by successive civilizations, Failaka has been known by different names. To the people of ancient Sumer, the world’s oldest civilization, it may have been the garden of the gods or the garden of the sun, home to Šiduri, who kept her “ tavern on the shore of the glittering sea” which Gilgamesh is reputed to have visited. According to some translations of cuneiform texts, the island may have been known as Agarum during the time of the Dilmun kingdom, although it should be noted that recent scholarship calls the name Agarum into question. To the successors of Alexander the Great, it was Ikaros; a name most likely derived from the myth of Daedalus and his son Icarus. To the Nestorian monks, it may have been Ramatha, although this, too, is debated. To Portuguese cartographers in the sixteenth century, it was Ilha de Aguada, meaning Island of Water or Island of the Well. Beginning in the eighteenth century, other foreign maps began to appear with names closer to the local pronunciation of Failaka or Failichah. The name Failaka is often said to derive from the Greek term for outpost (fylakio), although others claim that it is related to the Greek word for friendly or happy. It has also been stated that it is derived from the word Failaja, “the ancient Arabic pronunciation for good arable land…(as) there was a felj (creek) of potable water traversing the island… although the stream had dried out over time.” Although the creek dried up, Failaka continued to enjoy fresh water through its wells. The name “Ilha de Aguada” is likely a reference to this blessing and it seems that Failaka/Failichah might be as well.
The Arabic name for Failaka… was Failaja, derived from the ancient Arabic pronunciation for the good arable land… a local story [said] that there was a felj (i.e., a creek) of potable water traversing the island, and that although the small stream had dried out over time, traces of it could still be seen at the traction and towing sites in the central part of the island -Mohamed Aziz & O. Alotaibi, Spatial Assessment of the Pre-20th-Century Settlements on Failaka, Island, 2007
Failaka has long enjoyed freshwater. Indeed, this is one of the reasons the island has been inhabited by so many successive civilizations and why it retains a strategic position in the Gulf. The island has an average of less than six inches of rain a year, but it sinks to the water-table six feet below the surface, and so is accessible through shallow wells. During the rainy season, natural reservoirs of rainwater known as sebkha develop. Archaeologists have uncovered wells from the Bronze Age and Hellenistic period, and drains and filtration systems from the Islamic periods. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Failaka provided water to mainland Kuwait. With time, the island’s water was depleted, although not entirely exhausted.
Until oil came to Kuwait, Failaka was a fisherman’s paradise and the presence of sweet water in shallow wells supported a small, self-sufficient amount of agriculture in the vegetable realm, especially the carrot. Trees are still, though sparsely, in evidence here. -Saba George Shiber, The Kuwait Urbanization, 1964
[Failaka] is important because it is the place where Al Khidr, reputedly the only soul who has gained immortality from tasting the Ma’ul Hayat (Water of Life) stayed there for some time to make the island verdant and provide it with the underground fresh water that Failaka enjoys even though the mainland was parched. –Nirmala Janssen, Al Khidr: A figure who survives in history, myth and legend, 2004
That Failaka had a good water supply would have been common knowledge, certainly to any of the sailors of the Gulf. Ships called at Failaka island to obtain their water. The southern and western coasts were quite well known for their water wells, both in early times and much later and water was even known to bubble up in the sea a short distance from the shore line -Jehan Rajab, Failaka Island: The Ikaros of the Gulf, 1999
The island has often been noted for its beauty. Known for her work The Wild Flowers of Kuwait and Bahrain, published in 1955, Violet Dickson collected specimens from the island, including the blue lily and the pink gladiolus, which grew among the corn crops. Classical Greek sources from the time of Alexander the Great described the island as being heavily forested, which it certainly isn’t today. Some point out that the Greek word “hyle” can mean forest, but it can also mean shrub, so perhaps Failaka simply had many shrubs. Additionally, the sea level was one meter lower during the Hellenistic period, so the disappearance of this supposed forest could be due to the salinization of ground water. On the south coast there is a late Islamic settlement known as Al-Sabahiya, once known for its large oasis of palm trees that ships could spot from the water. There are four species of trees that grow on Failaka today: the date palm, athel, acacia, and sidr, the latter of which have a reputation of frequently hosting jinn.
[After] copious rainfall… velvety green grass and small bright flowers sprung up everywhere. Birds sang and flew through the trees, a pool of water still not absorbed into the sand glittered in the sunshine and numerous little bright red velvety ‘money’ spiders, probably ‘Bint al-Muttar’ (Daughter of Rain) sped about on their business -Jehan Rajab, Voice of the Oud, 1993
One should go there in March in a year when rain has fallen so that, in their shallow hollows, the sparse cornfields are green. The seed has come from Persia, for the blue Persian lily springs up in it, and sheaves of the red gladiolus. On open sandy bents small iris grow, straight between their curved leaves like heraldic fleur-de-luce. Prickly borage and pale convolvulus flowers creep over the poorest soil, where shells and mother-of-pearl lie stranded in recent visits of the sea. -Freya Stark, Baghdad Sketches, 1937
Various animals call the island home. Visitors have described watching porpoises frolic in the water, seeing flamingos, pelicans, gulls, curlew, and sand-grouse along the shore and spiny-tailed lizards scuttling about. It is commonly said that dogs and snakes cannot live on Failaka, with some stating this is due to the holiness of the island. Bovids have held a special importance on the island for millennia. The ibex was particularly sacred to Enki, the god of freshwater. Dilmunite stamp seals feature various species of bovids. In fact, a backwards looking gazelle may have been the symbol of Dilmun. Ancient Greek sources tell us that the population of Failaka sacrificed wild goats and chamois, deer, and gazelles to the island’s goddess. At the site of Al-Qusur, archaeologists have uncovered pottery with stamped images of horned quadrupeds, perhaps the Nubian ibex. Around the turn of the twentieth century, gazelle roamed the island, which only members of the royal family were allowed to hunt. Some wild gazelles still lived on Failaka until the early 1960s.
We lounged on the deck and watched the school of porpoises that frolicked in the water. The latter was of a pale bluish-green colour as if shone through by the storm which appeared to be brewing. The sky was heavily overcast and low over the horizon coloured by the yellowish smoke from the gas flares of the oil fields.-Peter Seeberg, Personal Letter, 1960
Until 1961, there were a few gazelle still surviving. Once walking in the middle of the island, with the wind gently whistling around, I suddenly saw a sand-coloured gazelle, both ears delicately erect gazing intently at me some yards away. We both stood transfixed staring at each other. It was a magical moment, then the creature broke the spell and flicked away, melting into the scenery. I never saw even a sight of one again. -Jehan Rajab, Voice of the Oud, 1993
The researcher learned that no snakes or dogs exist on Failaka, and could find no logical explanation for this fact. The author asked an eighty-seven-year old man from Failaka, what explanation he had for that. He answered <<The island is holy, and the dog is impure>> When asked about the snake, he replied that it was evil. The fact is, there are no dogs or snakes on the island: this gives credence to the Failakans that this place is holy and could be the place of immortality -Safwat Ali Nourel-Din, The Stamp Seals of Failaka: An Aesthetic Analysis, 1993
The people of the island lived by modest means, relying primarily on fishing and agriculture. Around the turn of the century, the British colonial administrator J.G. Lorimer said that Failichawis were known for being superstitious, as well as, “civil and well-disposed.” The discovery of oil in Kuwait in 1938 would dramatically change life on Failaka. Over time, the island became a popular tourist destination. In the 1960s, Saba George Shiber described life there as “nonchalant and lackadaisical.” He told readers that, “one in need of rest and in question of recreation would find this unusual island a haven… far from a ‘world that is too much with us.’”
Failakans have been always known as being more superstitious and in some respect more romantic than Kuwaitis. The reason for that is very difficult to understand as it needs a comprehensive, and in some respect, in-depth study of the people. -Zubaydah Ali M. Ashkanani, Middle Aged Women in Kuwait: “Victims of Change,” 1988
This population made a living from fishing and growing corn and other vegetables. They survived a rather rough life, equipped with nothing but patience, faith and most of all, an inner righteousness for which Failaka’s people are well-known.-Safwat Ali Nourel-Din, The Stamp Seals of Failaka: An Aesthetic Analysis, 1993
Life was hard but the population was close-knit and in the way of such communities their lives were often fulfilling… The people of Failaka, as sociable and kindly as those of any place in this part of the world, were known for their hospitality -Jehan Rajab, Voice of the Oud, 1993
Another major change would take place with the beginning of formal archaeology on the island. In 1958, a Danish archaeological expedition began excavations on the island. The team was led by P.V. Glob and Geoffrey Bibby. Rajab writes that Glob was, “a burly man with a slightly wild head of hair which, as befitted his profession, he never seemed to find time to cut.” His personal motto was: we move ahead! Harriet Crawford writes, “Bibby was a charismatic, swashbuckling figure, full of life and enthusiasm… to him and to P.V. Glob goes the credit for bringing Dilmun out of the realms of myth and establishing it as a real place.”
It was not until the new-found riches of Kuwait, brought by the oil era, that the island experienced a breath of attention. Kuwaitis, seeking the peace and quiet that their new metropolitan sophistication could hardly offer, found them on Failaka. Hence, the island became a place of leisure for the Kuwaitis. But their leisure did not last. The persistent voice of the past, incarned in the first votive stone found on the island… was the determinative inspiration that stirred the Kuwaitis to dig up their history and bring back to life the glory of Icarus [and] the lost civilization of Dilmun.-Safwat Ali Nourel-Din, The Stamp Seals of Failaka: An Aesthetic Analysis, 1993
Many things have changed in Failaka. The once peaceful and romantic island has started to become like any one of Kuwait’s cities. Old Failakan houses have been… demolished… change has… brought discontent. People are no longer in need, yet they do not enjoy the old spontaneous and natural sincerity. -Zubaydah Ali M. Ashkanani, Middle Aged Women in Kuwait: “Victims of Change,” 1988
From 1990-91, during the invasion and occupation of Kuwait, the Iraqi army made Failaka Island their base. The inhabitants were forced to leave to the mainland, save one elderly man who “refused to leave, saying to the Iraqis, ‘they could shoot him if they wished but he was too old to go’ and he was allowed to remain.” After liberation, the community was not fully re-established, although many people retain ties to the island. Today, the island is largely abandoned homes, stores, mosques, and other remnants of life before the war. The island has been used for military training, furthering the destruction. While the majority of houses are abandoned, a walk around Failaka during the weekend will be set to the hum of generators, indicating which homes are occupied. One may wonder if the sacred nature of Failaka waned with the trauma of the invasion, but when Jehan Rajab visited in March of 1991, directly following liberation, she wrote, “despite the feeling of horror and sadness, the tranquil ambience and essential piety still shone through all the recent evil that had taken place.”
In early March 1991, just after the Liberation of Kuwait by the Allied Forces, [I] was able to visit Failaka Island. The sense of horror while walking through the sunshine and soft breeze was heightened by the beauty of the gardens, for Failaka was always fertile and its inhabitants had taken pride in them. Yet somehow despite the feeling of horror and sadness, the tranquil ambience and essential piety still shone through all the recent evil that had taken place. Now Failaka Island with its ancient history dating from so many periods, including early to present day Islamic is for the present deserted. Its kindly population should have the opportunity to return and recover if they wish, and the secrets of its ancient past revealed. It is not the first time Failaka has been deserted and doubtless it will come to life once again and thrive once more. -Jehan Rajab, Voice of the Oud, 1993
Failaka Island is an eloquent testimony to a strong and continuing cultural tradition and daily community life on a small island that endured through time. This community life on the island came to an end due to the Gulf War… an event that is still engraved in the collective memory. Even if the population was evacuated, the former inhabitants of Failaka and the Kuwaitis have preserved deep bonds with their homeland and their traditions. These events have strongly marked Failaka’s landscape: urban development was frozen thus contributing to the preservation of the special character of the island, with its open spaces which inspire a sense of isolation. The high number of temples, churches and pilgrimage routes, as well as the traditional customs, practices and legends suggest that the landscape of Failaka Island has also embodied holy values throughout its history.-National Council for Arts & Letters, Failaka Island: A Palimpsest of Human Civilizations, 2025