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According to a thread on twitter by an exhibitor at the recently held Gold & Jewlery Exhibition, they had a diamond bracelet stolen from their booth.

Investigations by the Ministry of Interior revealed that two women were involved in the theft, stealing dozens of jewelry pieces worth hundreds of thousands of dinars from several stores at the exhibition. The stolen items included a diamond ring valued at over 30,000 Kuwaiti dinars from a well-known Kuwaiti store.

The MOI were able to identify the suspects and arrest them in less than 24 hours with all the stolen jewelry in their possession.

I hadn’t read about this heist anywhere else so thought it was interesting, and after googling found an Arab Times article with more information which you can check out here.

Hamleys, the world’s oldest toy store, just opened a new location at The Avenues. When Hamleys first opened in Kuwait back in 2020, I was a bit surprised they chose to open at The Gate Mall instead of The Avenues. I found that store small and too far out of my way to ever want to visit. But a few days ago, they opened their new location in Phase 1 of The Avenues, and I feel this is the one they should have opened back then.

The new Hamleys is bigger and more inviting although still tiny compared to the Hamleys flagship store in London. I think it’s also slightly smaller than the Fantasy Land store in The Avenues, but it’s filled with lots of toys including dedicated Hot Wheels, LEGO, Barbie and Play-Doh areas. There is also a Build-A-Bear Workshop inside the store.

The opening of this new store feels like a relaunch of the brand in Kuwait, since their Instagram account has deleted all traces of the previous store and positioned themselves as if they’re just opening in Kuwait for the first time.

If you want to check out the new store, it’s located on the ground floor of Phase 1 next to Foot Locker (not to be confused with the Foot Locker in Phase 3 or the one at The Forum). To make things slightly more confusing, Hamleys’ profile says they’re open in Avenues Phase 2, but the map on The Avenues website says Phase 1 🤷🏼‍♂️. Here’s their Instagram @hamleyskuwait

Pantera Furtiva is a Kuwaiti brand that was born from the owner’s (Yousef) fascination with minimalism and his appreciation for quality craftsmanship. The name, which means “stealthy panther” in Italian, captures Yousef’s style: quiet, powerful and built to last.

Yousef doesn’t believe in fast fashion, flashy logos or overpriced clothing made in sweatshops. He wanted to create pieces that last, are made ethically and can fit seamlessly into any wardrobe.

And his stuff is actually really cool, as evident from their first sneaker launch. Made from Grade A Italian leather and crafted by hand in Portugal, I think these sneakers look very clean and understated. They’re actually so my style, especially since the branding doesn’t stick out, but is still there if you look for it.

I also find it interesting how Yousef kept mentioning how important sustainability was to him and his team, and it’s also highlighted all over their website. Sustainability isn’t something that most of us have grown up with here and doesn’t play a major role in our lives, so to hear him talk about how crucial it is to his brand makes me want to start being more sustainable myself.

When it comes to the leather they use, Yousef makes sure to source it from a certified, environmentally conscious factory that avoids harmful dyes and mass production. Even the soles are made from recycled rubber, reducing the brand’s overall carbon footprint. Most of the packaging is also recycled, except for the thank-you card and bag, which Yousef plans to replace with recyclable versions soon.

If you’re traveling this summer, these shoes are the perfect pair to take with you since they go well with casual wear but also work if you want to go somewhere nice at night. They’re also 20% off right now, which makes them a pretty good deal.

If you want to find out more about the brand, head over to @panterafurtiva our head over to their website panterafurtiva.com

Pro tip: Women should go up one size when ordering, as the sizing runs small.

I came across these images of the Kuwait National Assembly by accident. I had recommended a friend buy a book called “Jørn Utzon Logbook Vol. IV: Kuwait National Assembly“, which covers its construction but she told me it was sold out. I started searching for a copy for her online when I stumbled across images of the National Assembly I hadn’t seen before, not even in his book on the project.

If you aren’t familiar, the Kuwait National Assembly was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the same architect behind the iconic Sydney Opera House. His design was well thought out. He organized the main building complex in a way inspired by traditional Arabian bazaars. All the departments (offices, meeting rooms, reception areas, the library, Assembly Hall, and more) are arranged along a central street, similar to the layout of a bazaar. Each department is made up of modules of varying sizes built around small patios or courtyards, all connected to the central street by side alleys. The complex was designed to be expandable at any time by adding new modules, allowing it to grow outward continuously similar to bazaars.

The canopy, or tent-like shade at the entrance that gives the building its distinctive look, came to him after seeing a photo of two Arabs fishing on the shore under a small sail from their boat. The sail was stretched between two poles with a beam across the top, creating a simple shaded area. He loved the way the shadow looked and thought it would be a beautiful idea to use in the building.

Jørn’s Logbook Vol. IV focuses on the Kuwait National Assembly project and includes behind-the-scenes documents, original drawings, stories, and photos of the construction. It was published in 2008, and copies were still available as recently as 2019, but they seem to have sold out since then.

Majority of the photos I’ve shared in this post were taken from the Utzon Archive, the rest are from my copy of the book. If you want to check them all out and get access to the hi-res images, click here.

The photo above is the one I think inspired him since it was included inside his book.

The video above is also from their archive, I like it because if you forward around 2 minutes in you get to see a full 360 of the city from above. I think the video was shot from the old Kuwait Airways building.

© Utzon Archives / Aalborg University & Utzon Center.

Spa Time and Men Time were the first specialized luxury spas to open in Kuwait. Known for focusing on traditional healing techniques and body care, they’ve recently introduced two new treatments: a healing massage designed for Office Syndrome and another for tension in the lower legs and feet.

Office Syndrome is a growing health issue caused by poor posture, repetitive movements, and extended periods of inactivity, usually from long hours spent working at a desk or in front of a computer.

Some common symptoms of Office Syndrome include:

• Muscle stiffness and body pain
• Headaches or migraines
• Numbness, tingling, or pain in the limbs
• Eye strain
• Poor circulation and fatigue

I relate to all of the above since I spend so much time sitting in front of a computer. This specialized treatment is actually recommended for people like me, as well as office workers, students, and even gamers.

The second treatment they’ve introduced, which you might also find interesting, is called Tired Leg & Foot Massage. This targeted therapy is designed to relieve fatigue, heaviness, and tension in the lower legs and feet. It’s ideal for people who stand or walk for long periods, travel frequently, or experience poor circulation and swelling in their legs. Sounds like the perfect treatment after a trip that involved a lot of walking.

I’m actually considering trying the Office Syndrome treatment myself, so if any of them also sound like something you’d be into, check them out. They have 7 branches around Kuwait, including in Al Muhallab, Avenues, Al Kout Mall, and Kipco Tower, so chances are there’s one near you. You can find out more on their website here.

The Scientific Center is opening its new expansion today, but I managed to get an early tour yesterday afternoon. First impression, wow, the view is incredible. I was there around 4PM, and the light was coming through the large glass wall surrounding the new area was casting beautiful shadows all over the interior. I wouldn’t be surprised if people went there just for the view.

The new expansion is massive, and I was given a tour of all the areas that are currently open. Some sections are still closed, with openings being staggered over the next year. The first area to launch is the World of Science, which spans three floors and features the following exhibits:

• Kuwait, Earth & Universe Exhibit
• Engineering Our World
• Robosapiens Exhibit

There are plenty of interactive displays for both kids and adults that are fun and educational. The most fun for me was probably the paper plane building area, where you make a plane, load it into a machine, and launch it. My favorite section overall though was the Robosapiens Exhibit, which explores how humans and technology have evolved together. It had several displays that demonstrated the interface between technology and the human body, which I’ve personally always been fascinated by since I was a kid (I used to love the 80s cartoon Bionic Six).

I’d estimate the new expansion would take around two hours to fully explore with your kids, especially if they play and interact with all the different exhibits.

If you want to visit the Scientific Center, they’re initially limiting the number of visitors per day so it doesn’t get overcrowded. There are two ticket options, KD 5 and KD 6. Both give you access to everything, including the original Scientific Center and the new expansion. The KD 6 ticket also includes entry to the IMAX theater. Children under 2 enter for free. For more info, you can head over to their website tsck.org.kw

To check out more photos and videos, head over to my instagram @248am

I just read that the legendary Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado has sadly passed away. He was widely regarded as one of the greatest documentary photographers of our time.

In 1991, just after the Gulf War, Salgado documented one of the most devastating environmental disasters of the 20th century, the oil fires. His powerful black-and-white photographs of firefighters battling huge flames and smoke-filled skies. became iconic and captured the true cost of the war.

The images he captured in Kuwait continue to define how the world remembers the impact of the Gulf War. He published a book featuring those photos titled Kuwait: A Desert on Fire. To explore more of his work, visit his Instagram @sebastiaosalgadooficial.

This week I started watching a bunch of shows:

Bad Thoughts
Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace
Toast of London
Zero Day

Darkplace and Toast of London both star Matt Berry. Darkplace is hilarious, the whole thing is shot and acted like a cheap old tv show and I love it. Bad Thoughts was fine, most of the funny stuff I had already watched as TikTok clips. Zero Day I’m two episodes in and don’t really like it but trying to stick to it.

I also started rewatching Transparent again, used to really love the series and it still holds up really well. Super easy to binge watch as well.

Have you watched anything interesting lately? Let us know in the comments.

Movies at the Cinemas
The English movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:

New This Week:
Lilo & Stitch (7.3)
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (7.6)

Other Movies Showing:
A Few Good Men (Classic) (7.7)
A Minecraft Movie (6.0)
A Working Man (6.8)
Heart Eyes (6.1)
Home Sweet Home: Rebirth (4.7)
Hurry Up Tomorrow (5.9)
Final Destination: Bloodlines (7.1)
Pet Investigators (6.1)
Sinners (8.0)
The Accountant 2 (7.2)
Thunderbolts* (7.8)
Valiant One (5.2)
Until Dawn (6.0)

The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.

If you regularly send money abroad, there’s now an easier and cheaper way to do it in Kuwait. Al Ansari Exchange recently launched a new app that lets you transfer money internationally directly from your phone, and based on what I’ve seen so far, it works really well.

You’ll need a Kuwait Civil ID and a local number to sign up, and the process took me less than 3 minutes to get started. Once registered, you can send money to countries like the UK, Europe, the US, and Canada using market exchange rates. The fees are low with transfers starting at 3KD with no hidden charges, and no sketchy buy/sell currency conversion margins.

The app allows bank-to-bank transfers for GBP, Euro, USD, and CAD, which is perfect for summer travel. You can even top up your Visa card from the app too. The app is really easy to use and it’s available in seven languages, including English, Arabic, Filipino, Hindi, Malayan, Tamil, and Telugu.

If you don’t want to use the app or don’t have a Civil ID, you can still visit one of Al Ansari’s 39 branches in Kuwait and transfer from there. With their recent $200 million acquisition of Bahrain Financing Company, they’ll soon have 80+ branches across the country.

Whether you’re sending money back home or moving funds for travel, it’s worth checking out. To find out more you can head to alansariexchange.com.kw

Main image by double a studio

This is the last batch of photos from Ian Caldwell’s family collection.

If you missed the previous two posts, Ian was born in Ahmadi in 1955 and lived in Kuwait until 1975. He’s scanned over 300 Kuwait-related photos from his family’s archive, which he’s kindly given me permission to share.

This final batch of photos isn’t categorized, other than being random scenes from around Kuwait taken in the 70s.

I really like the shot of the phone booth in the middle of the nowhere, it’s really weird, which is why I had Ian send me the original scan so I could print it out and frame it. Another favorite is the main image I used of the baqala, which looks like a scene straight out of a Western movie.

You’ll also find a couple of photos of the Kuwait Towers and Gulf Road while they were still under construction, and one of Seif Palace with the original telecommunications building going up in the background.

There are also some really odd ones I’ll let you discover for yourself. Link

The whole block in Salmiya behind Al Salam Mall is currently in the process of being demolished. The block contains 5 really old buildings that haven’t been maintained in decades, but also contains really old Kuwaiti houses in the back. Google Maps

Back in 2012 I took photos of those Kuwaiti houses since they had put up a fence around them because I assumed they were going to demolish them back then. Then they never got demolished so I figured the white fence was there to help preserve them. Well they’ve now been demolished.

You can check out all the photos below or view them directly on Flickr. (Hover over the image below, album is embedded)

I actually posted about the 5 buildings a few years ago since I had found old photos from like the 70s that showed the buildings in them and they weren’t in that great condition back then either. You can check out that post here.

Can we talk about Andor? I just binge watched the last 3 episodes of the second season last night and I’m so sad the series is over. It’s by far my favorite Star Wars series/movie/anything. It also feels like the least Star Warsy Star Wars and I think it’s because of the amount of depth, seriousness and grittiness the series has. The main hero also doesn’t have a light saber, he doesn’t have a cool outfit or anything out of the ordinary, he’s mostly just a normal person.

This is also probably the only Star Wars that also makes you empathize or fall in love with Imperial characters. The show is just so insanely good.

Then you also have the beautiful visuals and the incredible music like in the Mon Mothma dancing scene above. I think I actually might rewatch the series from the start again so I can enjoy it without all the anxiety and suspense. And then I’ll probably rewatch Rogue One since it takes place right after Andor in the Star Wars universe. If you haven’t watched it yet, please watch it.

Have you watched anything interesting lately? Let us know in the comments.

Movies at the Cinemas
The English movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:

New This Week:
Final Destination: Bloodlines (7.1)
Home Sweet Home: Rebirth (4.7)
Hurry Up Tomorrow (5.9)
Pet Investigators (6.1)
Valiant One (5.2)

Other Movies Showing:
A Few Good Men (Classic) (7.7)
A Minecraft Movie (6.0)
A Working Man (6.8)
Heart Eyes (6.1)
The Amateur (6.7)
Shadow Force (5.2)
Sinners (8.0)
The Accountant 2 (7.2)
The Legend of Ochi (6.3)
Thunderbolts* (7.8)
Until Dawn (6.0)

The numbers in brackets refer to the IMDB rating at the time of publishing.

Recently, I decided I needed a better way to organize my CDs. I have around 300 packed away in boxes, making it virtually impossible to listen to them. While a lot of this music is available digitally, I still have a huge collection that isn’t available online. Initially, I started looking on eBay for CD cases, but then decided to look locally first. Since, the only music shop I know of that’s still open is ROMCO, I decided to head there.

I’ve posted about ROMCO before. They used to have a shop in Hawally, but it closed years ago, with all remaining cassettes and CDs moved to a small room within their offices, located in the same building but at the back. They carry a few English tapes, but most of their collection is Arabic. The last time I posted about them they used to sell the tapes for 1.5KD but now they sell for 2KD for some reason.

Up until a few years ago there were a couple of more cassette shops open in Kuwait but they also closed suddenly and I think this is the last one left standing. And if you’re curious, yes I managed to find a CD case for my CDs. They had two SKB CD-400 ATA Carrying Cases left which I guess DJ’s used to use since each can hold up to 120 CDs. They don’t have anymore of those cases left, but they do have some CD stands and wallets still available.

The employee there told me they’re open from 9AM to 4PM, so if you want to pass by and check out their tapes, they’re located across the street from Alandalus Complex in Hawally. You can also find them on Google Maps.

If you know of any other music shop still open, let me know.

Both Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways just launched new summer routes, so I put together a list of all the new spots, their launch dates, and the cheapest ticket prices I could find. Check them out below:

Kuwait Airways

Alexandria
Flights from July 1 starting at KD 122

Antalya
Flights from June 2 starting at KD 135

Bodrum
Flights from June 2 starting at KD 152

Luxor
Flights from July 2 starting at KD 86

Malaga
Flights from June 5 starting at KD 197

Salalah
Flights from June 2 starting at KD 83

Sarajevo
Flights from June 5 starting at KD 130

Sharm El Sheikh
Flights from June 4 starting at KD 120

Trabzon
Flights from June 1 starting at KD 188

Vienna Flights
Flights from June 1 starting at KD 216

Jazeera Airways

Budapest
Flights from June 5 starting at KD 119

Hurghada
Flights from June 28 starting at KD 106

Krakow
Flights from June 6 starting at KD 141

Prague
Flights from June 5 starting at KD 140

Rize
Flights already started, starting at KD 000*

Sarajevo
Flights already started, starting at KD 90

Sochi
Flights from June 4 starting at KD 101

Yerevan
Flights from June 1 starting at KD 92

*Couldn’t find the destination on their website even though the press release says they’ve already started flying there.

We had two major back to back events this weekend. Fluffy performed his standup show on Thursday, followed by the Craig David concert on Friday night. Most of the feedback I’ve heard and seen has been pretty positive, with the main complaints being traffic and parking, which is pretty common for big events anywhere in the world. Although having these events in Kuwait is pretty cool, one thing I noticed when I initially posted about them is the negative comments. Yeah, it’s the internet and that’s expected, but I feel like this negativity also exists in the real world.

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A post shared by Mohamed Sameh | Content Creator (@mosam.ph)

When I posted about Blue and Craig David, a lot of people criticized the choice of artists. Why them and not someone more relevant? I get where that’s coming from. I’m super picky with the music I like too, and if I’m going to a concert, I want it to be a band that matters to me, like Nine Inch Nails or Foo Fighters. But realistically, neither of those bands are coming to Kuwait anytime soon and that’s ok for now (think baby steps). Some people also mentioned that being seated for the concerts didn’t make sense. The reality is, seating at concerts isn’t the end of the world. I’m seeing Nine Inch Nails this summer and I’ve got seated tickets — no big deal.

But honestly, I’ll take whatever we can get here because we don’t have many of these events.

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A post shared by Craig David (@craigdavid)

When Sting performed in Kuwait back in 2017, I thought that was going to be the start of more live shows. That didn’t happen, and things stayed pretty quiet until just now. It’s still only May and so far we had Blue, Fluffy and Craig David perform in Kuwait. I didn’t go to Fluffy, but I did go to Craig David. From the videos I saw of the Fluffy event and the crowd at the concert, it looked like everyone was having a blast.

This weekend proved there’s a real appetite for live shows here, and as long as this momentum keeps going I think it’s good for everyone, even though we aren’t getting Taylor Swift or Dave Chappelle.