Last week I posted a link to an article on Al Shaheed Park which contained beautiful photos as well as a bit of information on the park. Well on Thursday I was lucky enough to be invited for a walk-around tour of the park which still hasn’t opened to the public and I have to say, it’s as impressive as the pictures made it out to be.
In this post I’m going to try and share some information that I think hasn’t been shared yet anywhere as well as answering some questions some readers asked under my previous post. First here is a photo from the park map listing all the different spaces:
The primary areas of the park are the two museums, the Habitat Museum and the Remembrance Museum. The Habitat Museum will house information on Kuwait’s environment, animals, birds, vegetation and weather, while the Remembrance Museum will house an interactive exhibit on the historical battles of Kuwait and the Gulf War. There are a bunch of other sections as well which are also important.
The Aviary for example is a large open enclosure for the birds, mostly migratory ones. There is a very modern and beautiful mosque located in the park. There is a 3KM cushioned jogging track that goes all around the park. There is a large lake that is used to irrigate the whole park. There is a flag pole which will replace the one that used to be in Kuwait City near the Sheraton roundabout. There is a community garden and a bunch of restaurants and cafes all around the park. There is also a two storey underground parking which will be used by the park visitors and Al Tijaria Tower across the street.
As of this post they hadn’t finalized how the park will function. By that I mean they’re not sure if it should be an open to everyone no entrance fee public park like a park should be or a park with some sort of entrance fee, or maybe a park with no entrance fee but a very controlled environment. If the choice was left up to me I’d probably go with the no entrance option but with a VERY VERY controlled environment with lots of security cameras and security guards everywhere. Why? Here’s why…
Al Shaheed Park is beautiful in person as it is in those wonderful photos that were posted on ArchDaily. It’s also a very fragile park with glass railings everywhere, glass windows all over the place and there are even very thin and pretty lights that look like flowers all around the park. Basically it’s a place that can easily be vandalized. Now there will be guides at the park who will take people around to see the various spaces and museums, they’ve also recently decided to triple the amount of security at the park and there will also be supervisors stationed there. But will that be enough? I’m not sure and neither are they. For now they’re going to be opening the park to the public with no entrance fee and little control so they could see what will happen. If everything remains civil then they’ll keep it that way, if all hell breaks loose then they’ll consider alternative options.
One area of the park which I think could be a big hit are the restaurants and cafes. Right now they don’t have any operators and there is a tender taking place but if the right brands take over these restaurants and cafes then I think the park could be even a bigger hit. Some the restaurant spaces looked a bit casual, others a bit more formal but all looked fantastic.
I asked about the maintenance of the park since the majority of the government projects when completed end up falling apart years later. They assured me that they’ve signed a maintenance contract and if anything breaks or if a light goes out it will get replaced right away.
Although the exterior of the buildings look great I thought the interiors looked even better, or at least if you’re like me and think retro is cool. I fell in love with some of the furniture and if the security doesn’t end up being so tight I might end up leaving the park with two chairs, a table and a lamp. So take note park people, tighten up the security detail.
When is the park opening? Very soon. They didn’t want to give me an exact date since they’re currently doing some minor fixes to the park but what I understood is that its probably going to open sometime next month but don’t take my word for it.
Anyway this is the information I thought was interesting to share but if you have any questions let me know below and I’ll try to answer it myself or have someone connected to the park answer it. Also I like to point out again that if you haven’t checked the ArchDaily post already then do so for much nicer photos.
Finally if you’re Kuwaiti, bilingual and are aged between 18 and 30 then you can apply to be a tour guide at the park [Here]
31 replies on “Sneak Peek: Al Shaheed Park”
It looks great. Time now for Amiri Diwan to fix their fail which is Seef roundabout.
Fail! Who goes to the parks in the summer? Maybe in the winter it’s ok but summer and outdoor parks? No way for me
So we shouldn’t have parks? I don’t get your comment…
I mean why are they officially opening in the summer rather than waiting for the next winter to officially open? Wouldn’t that give the management more time to test the park and see what else that needs to be done to make the park an enjoyable experience?
Something like adding benches and water fountains for the elders to enjoy the park?
There are a number of benches and seating all around the park. The park also has a lot of interior spaces which makes it usable in the summer. Plus launching now makes more sense then keeping it closed till end of the year. Why keep it closed if it’s ready you know?
Very interesting!
But I still think that a very small fee should be used. Not just to limit hooligans from entering but also to pay for the park facilities/security/guides…
I really hope the restaurant section is really out for tender. I’d hate to see powerful people taking over it with crappy concepts
Well I don’t see restaurant franchises using the facilities if they are forced to use the furnishings that are in place. The wife and I don’t really go in to the city anymore but that will be worth the visit, in the winter time!
aahhh damn so instagramable!!! 😀
The most thing I found interesting was the 3K track… a bit more than 3 rounds for a 10K run.. Not bad !
personally i am looking forward to this park opening up so that we can have different running locations other than mishref and the marina cresecent-sci center. hope the path is shaded to a degree! i heard from some people there is a path outside the park around its vicinity, is this true?
Yeah there is a path around the park from the outside as well
People are going to get mad about this….
But it would be nice to have one child-free place. It looks so zen there but I can imagine soon enough kids with rollerskate shoes going all around and ruining everything with their noise pollution, running everywhere and their noisy nannies chasing them here and there. They can quickly make something peaceful into a headache. An over 13 rule would be great!
the semi-official date is set to be april 20th. just saying.
i’m going to have a BBQ there and see how that goes 🙂
It all looks great… but I wonder why/how they designed the restaurants with the cool furniture BEFORE tendering out the management. Most of the restaurants operating in Kuwait, whether homegrown “concepts” (God I hate that word!!) or franchised, have their unique strong identities
The only way to semi control what goes on is to charge a fee and not just a few hundred fils. Needs to be restricted to those who pay the entry fee or those that have ticket/booking etc. at one of the venues. I really hope that this place is maintained properly and the public respect it for once.
But by charging you are limiting the place only to those who can afford it. And an entry fee isn’t going to keep out the vandalizing crowd, just look at the zoo for example.
Why are dogs banned?
Most people in Kuwait can’t pick up after their own dogs and let them shit everywhere
Could they just not fine those who don’t pick up after their dogs? Just like everywhere else.
Such a nice looking place to hang out. Unfortunately they will need A LOT of security due to the animalistic tendencies of some people and their kids. We were walking in Mishref and watched as the brat kids ransacked all of the flowers most of which died during the summer. There is the big park thingy under construction beside City Centre as well so it looks like there will be some more decent places to take the kids.
Applying link is down
this
Are dogs allowed?…and if not when is kuwait going to open a dog park??
nope dogs are not allowed
Uncivilized people shouldn’t be allowed instead.
Release the Cracken! Release the 3agad!
can’t wait to see the bubble gum stamp on the ground
I see a no picnicking allowed sign, a no dogs allowed sign and a no littering sign but there isn’t a no barbecuing sign so I guess that’s allowed. Make a lot of people happy on Friday evenings. Come to think of it how do the authorities expect to enforce the restrictions? I know Mark said they will have shit loads of security and supervisors to watch over the place. But I am skeptical on how much they can do when confronted by locals who may or may not have enough clout to screw the poor sob for doing his job.
And yeah I am with who ever said they should have a strict no kids below 13 area, especially if there are Zen spots where people can came for some peace and quiet and want to be one with nature . The Circle of Peace & Oasis Fountains sound like those Zen spots where there should be an ordnance against snot nosed screaming kids and the 02 place I would like to visit when I get back to Kuwait
Is the park open for public? We are planning for tomorrow weekend.
I would appreciate readers update.
Also contact numbern timings if provided would be thankful.