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KUWAIT TOURISM : Kuwait Travel & Tourism GUIDE

Kuwait Sights

Kuwait City is the capital of Kuwait. Although it goes back a long time in history, the present day city is very modern.

Kuwait City is a bustling metropolis of high-rise office buildings, luxury hotels, wide boulevards and well-tended parks and gardens. Its seaport is used by oil tankers, cargo ships and many pleasure craft. Its most dominant landmark is Kuwait Towers, and its oldest is Seif Palace, built in 1896, whose interior features original Islamic mosaic tilework, though these suffered badly during the Iraqi occupation.

The Kuwait Museum was also stripped of many artefacts – part of it has been renovated and is now open to the public. Rebuilding work has still not begun on the Islamic Museum, which was badly hit during the war.

Key attractions

National Museum

Located near the National Assembly on the Seif, the National Museum comprises four buildings and planetarium. It houses the As-Sabah collection of Islamic Art, one of the most comprehensive in the world. Other buildings house pearl-diving relics, ethnographical artefacts and archaeological material from excavations on Failaka Island.

Kuwait Towers

The Kuwait Towers have become the most famous landmark in the country. These three unique towers have a dual function as both entertainment facilities and water reservoirs. The upper sphere of the main tower has a revolving observation deck with a cafeteria that gives the visitor a full panoramic view of Kuwait City and the Arabian Gulf every half hour. The top half of the lower sphere houses three excellent restaurants, while the bottom section is a one million gallon water resevoir. The globe on the middle tower is used only as a water reservoir with one million gallon capacity. The long, thin tower illuminates the other two towers and the surrounding grounds with 96 concealed spotlights.

Lion's Gate

The first wall around the City was built in the 1760s, the second in 1814, and the last in 1920. This was demolished in 1957 but its five gates were left standing as monuments to the past. These are Maqsab Gate ( by the Seif down from the Sheraton Hotel) Jahra Gate (inside the roundabout at the bottom of Fahd Al-Salem Street), Shamiya Gate (at the start of Riyadh Street), Beraisi Gate (at the end of Mubarak Al-Kabeer Street), and Bneid Al-Qar Gate (in Bneid Al-Qar), in the green belt between Soor Street and the 1st Ring Road.

Kuwait Zoological Garden

Located in Omariya, the meticusly landscapped zoological garden was reopened on February 18, 1993 after two years of massive reconstruction and restocking. A delight to both adults and children, this place is not only for watching the animals, but is a center for education, preservation and propagation. Endangered species native to Kuwait are being breed here. The education center offers everyone the chance to study first-hand not only exotic animals from around the world, but also species that were once native to Kuwait fifty years ago. The research center tries to find the best way to keep imported animals healthy in the Kuwaiti environment. Enjoyed by all a train weaves its way among the tree shaded animal compounds. Camel, horse and donkey rides along with magic and electronic games delight the children or maybe you would like to have your picture taken with the resident snakes or crocodiles.

Bayt Al-Badr

An old house located next to As-Sadu house, Bayt Al-Badr was built between 1838 and 1848 with a good example of the famous front doors of old Kuwait, exhibitions of local handicrafts are sometimes displayed there. There are several other old pre-oil houses along the Seif which have been renovated and preserved including the old British Political Agency building opposite the Dhow Harbour. In the area just inland in Sharq there are several interesting broken down old houses awaiting preservation.

Source: world66.com

Mosques : The pyramid-shaped mosque in Ras Salmiya and the Fatima Mosque in Abdullah Al-Salem are fine examples of modern architecture. The Grand Mosque, opposite the Seif Palace, is an example of several traditional Islamic styles using modern technology while retaining the local characteristics of Kuwait as well as preserving the Islamic tradition of calligraphy. There are several examples of mosques dating from the last century still in use around Kuwait City.

Amusement Parks and Resorts : The government's success in moulding the harsh desert environment of Kuwait can be seen in public parks as also along the sides on many main roads and boulevards. Many of the parks have amusement centres and children's play facilities. There are also several amusement parks dedicated to keeping children actively enthralled for hours at a time.

Recreational Parks : The Kuwait Touristic Enterprises Company (KTEC) manages three recreational parks: at Shaab, Sabahiya and Jleeb Al-Shyoukh. Each park features rides and amusement activities

Entertainment City : Badly damaged during the occupation when many of its facilities were looted and taken to Baghdad, Al-Madina Al-Tarfihiya (the City of Entertainment) is back in business. Run by KTEC and located 20 km from Kuwait City near Doha on the north side of Kuwait Bay, the complex provides a complete range of amusements based on themes from the 'Arab World', the 'International World' and the 'Future World'. It is considered one of the best amusement parks in the world, and the entrance fee is KD3.500 per person, which covers various rides and amusements.

Resorts and Chalets : Chalets and other weekend accommodation can be rented in many places along the southern part of the coast. Khiran Resort is a KTEC facility with several hundred chalets and studio flats, a yacht club and a 240-berth fully serviced marina, swimming pools, playgrounds, sports and health facilities, shops, a supermarket and coffee shops.

Sea Clubs : Many of Kuwait's sea clubs offer a wide variety of facilities and activities such as indoor and outdoor swimming pools, beaches, tennis courts, gymnasiums, bowling and even karate. Five sea clubs -- Ras Al-Ardh, B'neid Al-Gar, Bida, Shaab and Fahaheel -- are run by the KTEC. Each club has a special day or time for women and children only; Ras Al-Ardh is reserved exclusively for women and children.

The Kuwait Sea Sports Club is government-owned and has facilities for all major sea sports. There are also several private sea clubs.

Source: kuwait-info.com