Category: Kuwait

I take my dog out for a walk on the Gulf Road daily and for the past week or so it’s been pretty empty with barely anyone around. Today for the first time though it was super busy with people again. With the sirens stopping it feels like things are starting to get back to normal which is a relief. I don’t want to jinx it so won’t say anymore!

Last week I posted about how all pharmacies now are being forced to be brandless, well it sucks that it’s happening.

Over the weekend I needed to get a specific plaster from a pharmacy which according to Talabat only Al Hajery Pharmacy had. Great, so I decided to pass by Al Hajery Pharmacy to get it since it’s a 500fils item and didn’t make sense to order it with Talabat. I couldn’t find an Al Hajery Pharmacy.

I obviously knew pharmacies were brandless now but I thought I remembered an area in Hawally where one branch was located. I also knew they used the color green for their branding so I figured it wouldn’t be so hard to find it. I was wrong. I went to three different green pharmacies in that area, two turned out to be Al Mutawa and one a Pharmazone!

I haven’t come across any news article about this change so I still don’t know what the reason behind this decision is. As an example of what I mean by pharmacies going brandless, the image on top is of a Boots store at The Avenues.

I just published a post on Instagram about how I’m not going to post about the war over there. But, I will be posting about it here, at least for archival purposes.

When I initially launched the instagram account I gave it a different set of guidelines to follow vs the main blog, and one of those was that I wouldn’t post negative content. It’s why you’ll sometimes see a post here complaining or criticizing something, but you wouldn’t find it on my instagram account.

The blog on the other hand serves as a personal diary of a sorts, a memory timeline for myself where I come to and search for places, events, things and whatever else that happened during the past 20+ years of blogging. It would feel weird if in the future I wanted to find articles about this period we’re going through and not find anything. Especially since war blogging was how I first started in 2003.

Yesterday the airport getting damaged was pretty shocking and unexpected. I think the last time our airport got hit or damaged because of a missile was during the Iraq invasion in 2003, but I can’t seem to find any info on that especially now since all the news popping up relates to yesterday.

I’ve been using twitter to find most of my content like videos and stuff relating to different incidents happening around the region, but there is also so much fake stuff to sift through. So much fake content or inaccurate content that even when I come across a real incident it’s hard to tell if it’s actually real. A good example is how there is lots of content about Burj Khalifa being hit in Dubai which isn’t true, but then when I came across content about Burj Al Arab being hit I couldn’t tell if it was also fabricated.

On the other hand there are also a lot of funny memes on twitter which has been lightening up the mood.

Anyway, stay safe everyone, hopefully all this will be over soon.

With National Day coming up, I decided I’d share these photos from Verity Cridland’s archive taken in June 1962, when Kuwait celebrated its first National Day.

National Day used to be celebrated on June 19, but due to the summer heat an Amiri decree merged National Day with the accession anniversary of the late Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, officially moving the celebration to February 25.

Verity was 12 years old when her father moved to Kuwait from Baghdad in 1958 as an assistant chief engineer, mainly responsible for roads and roundabouts. He lived here for five years before returning to England. Verity, her mother, brother and sister only visited Kuwait three times during that period, and most of the photos she later scanned and uploaded to Flickr were taken by her mother, with only a few by her father.

I’ll link to the Verity Cridland archive in a second, but first, I’ve put together all the National Day photos in a single post and shared them on my Instagram. The photos here are from two different celebrations and you can see them by clicking here.

Alternatively, if you want to go through her full archive, click here.

Happy Ramadan everyone. Here are the Ramadan timings you’ll probably need, if I missed any other important ones, let me know in the comments.

Banks: 10AM to 1:30PM (not including airport and malls)
Government: 8:30AM ~ 10:30AM to 1PM ~ 3PM
Car Registration Renewal: 10AM to 3PM
PACI: 10AM to 1:30PM (Kuwaitis) 2PM to 4:30PM (Expats)

360 Mall: 10AM to 4PM and 8:30PM to 1:30AM
Al Khiran Mall: 10AM to 4PM and 8:30PM to 1AM
Al Kout Mall: 10AM to 4PM and 8:30PM to 1:30AM
Assima Mall: 10AM to 4PM and 8PM to 1AM
Avenues Mall: 10AM to 4PM and 7:30PM to 1:30AM
Boulevard: 10AM to 3PM and 6PM to 1AM
Marina Mall: 10AM to 4PM and 7:30PM to 1:30AM
Salhia Complex: 10AM to 3PM and 8:30PM to 1AM
The Warehouse: 10AM to 4PM and 8:30PM to 1:30AM

Cinescape: From 8:30PM
GrandCinemas: From 8PM
Sky Cinemas: From 8PM
VOX: From 7PM

Al Shaheed Park: 5AM to 2AM
Abdullah AlSalem Cultural Centre: 8PM to 12:30AM (ex. Sundays)

Co-ops: Most open 24 hours
Lulu Hypermarket: 8AM to 3AM
Sultan Center: Standalone stores open 24 hours

Ace Hardware: 10:00AM to 11:30PM
Bin Nisf: 8:30AM to 2:30PM and 8PM to 10:30PM (ex. Friday)
IKEA: 10AM to 4PM and 8PM to 2AM
Jarir: 10AM (Friday 2PM) to 5PM and 8:30PM to 1:30AM
True Value: Open 24 hours in Salmiya, 10AM to 1AM in Al Rai
Xcite: Open 24 hours in Al Rai, Fahaheel, Hawally, Salmiya

Illustration by @windowsofuae

A short 5 minute video that looks at Kuwait and how it was designed around cars instead of people and how that’s contributing to issues like pollution, asthma and diabetes. It’s pretty accurate especially the bit where she mentions how cars are parked in the shade occupying what in other countries would be the sidewalk, while pedestrians are in the sun walking on the street.

The Kuwait Towers Garden, located right underneath the towers, is opening to the public for the first time. Previously, you needed a restaurant reservation or had to pay for access to the viewing deck to get into that area, but now the garden will be open to everyone.

Starting Ramadan and until May 14, access to the garden will be free. According to the organizers Hekaya World, the space will feature art, culture, and coffee. I passed by earlier today for a quick sneak peek and they were busy putting the final touches in place for tomorrow.

The acai spot Say Suco will also have a pop up under the tower with its own seating area.

The Kuwait Towers Garden has an instagram account if you want to check out, it’s @kuwaittowersgarden

Yesterday, Henley & Partners released their 2026 Passport Index, marking two decades since they first started sharing this list. Henley releases the list every year, and they rank passports based on how many countries holders can enter without a visa.

For 2026, Kuwait ranked 50 on the list with 96 visa-free destinations. Interestingly, it used to be 102 visa-free destinations back in 2024, so I’m curious to know which countries Kuwait had a falling out with.

Compared to neighboring GCC countries, Kuwait has the third best passport, coming in behind the UAE and Qatar. Singapore had the most powerful passport, while Afghanistan had the weakest.

Here are how some other countries ranked compared to Kuwait:

1 – Singapore
5 – United Arab Emirates
7 – United Kingdom
8 – Canada
10 – United States
46 – Turkey / Russia
47 – Qatar
50 – Kuwait
54 – Saudi Arabia
55 – Bahrain
57 – Oman
73 – Philippines
80 – India
85 – Egypt
90 – Lebanon
101 – Afghanistan

If you want to check out the full list, click here.

A couple of years ago, I posted photos of an old mosque I came across while browsing the Tareq Rajab Museum’s private photography archive. The photos were taken sometime in the 1970s, and with the help of my Twitter followers, we were able to track down the mosque, which turned out to still be standing in the city.

The mosque was identified as the Ahmad Abdullah Mosque, built in 1915, and located in the area behind the Dickson House. When I passed by, it was in terrible condition and looked like it could collapse at any moment. Someone must have seen my post because restoration work started last summer and was recently completed.

I’m not sure how authentic the restoration was, but the important thing is the mosque wasn’t demolished or left to crumble. It’s now fenced off, and no one is allowed to access the area around it. I’m not sure what the plan is, but they might be keeping is closed until the old city project surrounding it is eventually completed.

If you want to check out my previous post with the old photos, click here.

Recently, I noticed the Thunayan Al Ghanim Building at the Sheraton roundabout had been vacated and looked like it might be getting demolished. That worried me because of its historical importance, so I reached out to the family, and it turns out the building is actually going to be restored.

When the building was constructed in the 1950s, it was considered one of the most advanced in Kuwait. In the photo above the building is under construction while surrounded by traditional Kuwaiti houses, a very noticeable contrast at the time.

The Thunayan Al Ghanim Building was also the first building in Kuwait to have an elevator. There are stories of Bedouins coming in from the desert just to watch what they called “the flying horse” that can go up and down. Over the years, the building housed the original Kuwait Oil Company offices, the British Consulate, Kuwait’s first English bookshop (later opened in the basement of Al Muthana Complex), and the original Sultan Gallery.

Because of its historical value, the family plans to preserve the building.

I haven’t been posting for a few days since I wanted to take a bit of time off to enjoy the holidays. But I’m back now because a lot of people have been asking if there will be fireworks tonight, and the answer is yes and no.

If you’re asking whether there will be a huge fireworks show like the ones previously held at Kuwait Towers or earlier this year at Al Shaheed Park, then the answer is no.

However, similar to last year, there will be several fireworks displays taking place around Kuwait.

The biggest one was expected to happen at KLAND, but they announced late last night that the fireworks show has been canceled.

That means the largest displays are now likely to be at Messilah Beach, Al Kout Mall, and Al Khiran Mall. If you don’t want to drive that far, or you’re looking for something near Kuwait Towers, JON will be holding a short fireworks show that will last a few minutes.

Wherever you end up watching the fireworks from, have a great night and happy new year.

Update: Messilah Beach just announced that their fireworks show is also canceled due to “directives of the relevant security authorities.” I wonder what’s going on🤔

Update2: JON also canceled their fireworks

Update3: Al Kout Mall and Al Khiran also announced the cancelations of their shows

The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) recently opened the first phase of its Eco Park project, a government initiative aimed at supporting urban greening and promoting sustainability in Kuwait. The Eco Park focuses on improving green spaces in urban areas while also supporting research related to desert development and urban planning.

The park officially opened earlier in the month but I kept postponing my visit because of the weather. But, on Friday when I saw the sun was out I decided to pass by and check the park out and take some photos.

It’s fairly big, depending on what you’re comparing it to. It’s much smaller than Shaheed Park and Shuwaikh Park, but bigger and more interesting than most neighborhood parks.

When you first walk in, you’re greeted with a list of rules, including a no pets allowed notice. I’m actually fine with that. I walk my dog in that area and although I always pick up after him, I know a lot of people don’t. I’d rather have a dog free park than constantly worrying about stepping in poop. Inside the park there are plants and flowers everywhere (but no grass), and two artificial lakes, one large open air lake and a smaller shaded one. On the other end of the park is a large open space that looks like it could be used to host events or activities like yoga sessions or outdoor workouts. There’s also a pathway marked with no entry signs that leads toward the second phase of the park.

I couldn’t find the park’s opening hours listed anywhere, and I didn’t see any security or staff on site to ask about the timings. I reached out to KISR on Thursday to check, but I haven’t heard back yet. That said, I drive by the park daily and haven’t seen the gate closed so far.

If you want to pass by, the park is in Salmiya, facing the Gulf Road, in front of the Cliffs Tower and just before Dar Hamad. Here is the location on Google Maps.

Update: KISR replied, the opening hours are Sat to Wed 6am–6pm and Thu to Sat 6am–9pm

I was working on another post when I came across these photos I had gotten from my visit to the KOC Archives years ago. They were interesting pictures of a school, and a quick image reverse search took me to an old Tumblr post that had a similar photo and mentioned the school was Al Shamiya School for Boys. I kept digging to find out who designed it and when it was built, and I ended up finding some information in an essay by Roberto Fabbri titled “Prototyping Spaces for Education”. The essay is in the book Essays, Arguments and Interviews on Modern Architecture of Kuwait, a book that is available to purchase from the bookshop at Amricani or the Yarmouk Culture Center or their online shop.

The Al-Shamiya School for Boys, along with two other elementary schools, a technical college and five nurseries were designed by the British architectural firm Tripe & Wakeham in the 1950s. T&W were appointed by the Emir to design and build a series of ‘western standard’ educational facilities based on the requirements drafted by the Council of Education.

Tripe & Wakeham’s approach on design focused on balancing the sun and keeping the buildings naturally cool. Even though their plans differed from one project to another, everything followed the same idea: one-room-thick layouts to improve cross ventilation. The main spaces were oriented northeast, while balconies and overhangs faced southeast and were usually shaded with shutters or screens.

If you feel like reading some more, the Arabian Gulf Digital Archives have scans of the original notes by the architect Aitken of Tripe & Wakeham on the schools they designed. The scans expand on the above in a lot more detail and it really interesting to read the thinking process behind the designs and you can check those out here.

So if you ever wondered why old schools looked the way they do, now you know.

A couple of days ago, Boulevard World in Riyadh opened to the public as part of Riyadh Season. Boulevard World (or BLVD World) is located right next to BLVD City, another large entertainment zone. The venue features replicas of iconic landmarks from several countries, and this year they’ve added three new zones: Indonesia, Korea, and Kuwait.

The Kuwait zone features replicas of the Kuwait Towers, Seef Palace with its clock tower, and a large dhow. It also includes restaurants serving authentic Kuwaiti food, along with traditional arts and live performances.

If you’ve never been to BLVD World or City, you really should. I’ve been three times, and each time it was bigger than the year before. It’s a gigantic world that feels a bit like Universal Studios or Disneyland. Riyadh is also always a fun road trip if you want to drive down.

From Kuwait to Riyadh 🇰🇼❤️
Authentic Kuwaiti food, traditional arts,
and live performances are waiting for you at the Kuwait Zone inside Blvd World 🌏

Book your tickets nowhttps://t.co/zvz6LyRkSL#BigTime#RiyadhSeason pic.twitter.com/kMANvQx4vy

— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) October 11, 2025

Photos are from @addadruh.

Barari is a local landscaping company I’ve been following for a couple of years. I’m a fan of their work, and they’ve done some really interesting projects. One that stood out to me is called Tree Den.

For the Tree Den project, they took a tiled-up garden with artificial turf and turned it into a vibrant desert sanctuary. Looking at the before and after photos, it’s hard to believe they’re of the same place.

Instead of covering the ground with artificial or real grass, they decided to embrace the sand as a natural, breathable surface. According to Barari, they wanted to celebrate the desert rather than fight it. They planted dense greenery along with mature trees to create a cozy and immersive space. Even the kids play area encourages hands-on exploration and digging. It’s a simple idea that I think is executed beautifully, and they managed to convince me that sand doesn’t need to be covered but can actually be a beautiful part of the landscape.

If you want to check out all the before and after photos of the transformation, head over to their website here.