This batch of photos caught my attention mostly because of the shots of Fahaheel. I’ve come across old photos of Fahaheel before but they never get old, especially seeing how barren it used to be with just a dirt road running through it. Since it was close to Ahmadi, it was visited frequently by the KOC residents there.
The photos here were scanned by Mark Anderson, the son of Suzanne and Malcolm Anderson. His dad worked at KOC in Marine in the late 50s before moving into production and various areas within the refinery. The family eventually left Kuwait in 1972.
The photos in this post were taken in the late 50s and early 60s. Other than the shots of Fahaheel, there are also photos of his parents and their friends socializing at someone’s home. I love these kinds of photos since they give a glimpse into life back then, from the clothes people wore to the way their homes looked and how they socialized.
Sadly, both of Mark’s parents passed away a couple of months apart at the end of 2022. There are around 15 photos, if you want to check them out all click here.
3 replies on “Fahaheel in the Late 50s and More”
When Al Bayan school opened in 1977 we used to go thru dirt roads like that to get to it. Yes i am that old.
Fahaheel was the ‘it’ place to be in the late 70s all through the early 80s. For one thing I remember going on long drives from Ras Salmeya all the way to Fahaheel Fish Market and back. This is when Fahaheel expressway did not exist. The coastline from Messilah beach to Fahaheel was a very interesting and scenic route with clean sandy beaches and later, jaw dropping villas and chalets dotting the coastline. Miss the many sea touch clubs that used to grace this part of the country.
In a sense, the coastal road drive to Fahaheel was Kuwait’s version of the Peeble Beach Road.
Always felt more comfy moving around Ahmadi than we did with Fahaheel. The people there were a bit less friendly (bordering on the hostile, actually) and more conservative than in town & Salmeya. Maybe it was just us who felt that way – may not be a pertinent observation at all.