Popular UFC fighter and most likely future middleweight champion, Khamzat Chimaev is going to be in Kuwait this weekend. He’s coming as a guest of honor for FERA Championship 2. Last year FERA Championship brought former UFC Champion and legend Jose Aldo to Kuwait and I actually ended up running into him at The Avenues wearing a dishdasha which was so bizarre.
FERA Championship is one of the largest MMA event that takes place in Kuwait, and this year it’s happening on January 17th. Tickets start at 10KD and if you want to find out more or book a ticket, their instagram account is @ferachampionship
I was planning to book a short trip to London this month and I was checking out Kuwait Airways prices and a two-way economy ticket costs around 500KD this month. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it that expensive before, does anyone know why? British Airways tickets are less than 200KD but the flight back is a red-eye-flight which I don’t want to deal with. So just curious to why the Kuwait Airways flight specifically is so crazy expensive.
Ghazi Hamad Sultan Bin Isa (1941-2007) was a Kuwaiti architect and urban planner who is regarded as one of the key figures in the modernization of Kuwait. He is best known for the waterfront project (including Green Island) which was developed jointly with Sasaki while working for the Ministry of Public Works. Ghazi Sultan is also renowned for his significant contributions to the Arab art movement. In 1969, he founded Sultan Gallery (@sultangallery) with his sister Najat Sultan, and it remains active to this day.
Ghazi’s son, Zahed Sultan (@zahedsultan), recently launched a website and Instagram page (@ghazihamadsultan) to honor his father’s legacy. According to Zahed, both platforms will be updated regularly, as his father’s archive holds a wealth of material to share.
One section of Ghazi Sultan’s website contains photos of Kuwait taken by him in the 1960s. I’ve decided to share these for now and will hopefully post more stuff from his archive in the future, espcially the architectural projects.
If you want to find out more about Ghazi Sultan, or view the photos he took, head over to ghazisultan.com
This week I had a quick day trip to Qatar so figured I’d watch The Diplomat on the plane. I had downloaded 3 episodes, and although the season started slow and it took me awhile to remember what had happened in the previous season, by episode 6 I was hooked! It was the last episode I had on my iPad so once I got back to Kuwait figured I’d continue the season. Turns out that was the last episode of the season. wtf? Why is The Diplomat just 6 episodes this season, it’s not an epic mini-series, it’s like a random stupid show. Waste of time.
On the other hand, Landman is killing it, I love the show. I also watched the movie A Real Pain, it was good but was expecting it to be better.
Let me know in the comments what you recently watched or planning to watch.
Movies at the Cinemas
The movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:
Not sure if the website is new or not but @q8nitro has been posting about it recently so I just found out about it. It’s a much better site than Q8Car thats for sure, and the cars on it are more interesting. Only weird thing is that I don’t think they remove cars after they’ve sold. There are cars there listed back in 2019, not sure why they’re just leaving them since it makes the overall website less useful and misleading. Link
This weekend, Kuwait will be hosting the Nawi Wellness Summit 2025, a three-day event focused on health, fitness, and wellness. The event will run from January 9th to 11th and take place at The Arena in 360 Mall. It will be open daily from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM and is free to attend.
The summit won’t be a typical event; instead, it will feature engaging and immersive experiences, including:
Exhibition Hall: Explore top companies and brands showing their newest health and wellness products and services.
Interactive Workshops, Seminars, and Panels: Join activities for adults and families, including hands-on workshops, educational talks, and inspiring discussions.
Nawi Museum: Discover Kuwait’s sports history through a unique and immersive installation that takes you on a journey from Kuwait’s pearl diving days, to modern sports achievements.
Entry is free to the exhibition hall which has all the participating booths, retail area as well as food and drinks.
If you’d like access to the workshops, panel discussions, and NAWI Museum, then you need to purchase a VIP ticket. The VIP ticket costs KD25 and gives you 3-days access to the summit and allows you to register in any workshop or panel discussion. The workshops and panels will be held in English or Arabic, with translation provided in English for Arabic discussions and in Arabic for English discussions.
Nawi aims to inspire healthier living, bring people together, and highlight Kuwait’s role in wellness. If you want to register for the event or find out more, head over to yallanawi.com or check out @yalla.nawi
I’ve been using Wiyak for nearly four years now, mainly when I drop off a car at the garage and need a ride home or to the office. Occasionally, I’ll use them for meetings in the city where parking is a hassle. Their service is practical, the cars are spotless, and I genuinely enjoy using them.
Initially, they launched as a premium ride-booking app, but they’ve since evolved to offer a variety of services, including Cabs, Rides, Rentals, MSAED and Winch service.
Cabs is their affordable taxi service, while Rides is their premium offering, allowing you to choose from a range of cars, including a Rolls-Royce Ghost. Rentals is Wiyak’s chauffeur service, ideal for extended business engagements, shopping outings, or just fun trips with friends where having a car waiting for you is a must.
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MSAED and Winch are two unique services unrelated to being driven around. With MSAED, their drivers can pick up items for you or even buy something on your behalf and deliver it, perfect for ticking errands off your list. Winch is straightforward: if your car breaks down, you can request a tow truck to pick up both you and your car and take you wherever you need to go.
All five services are conveniently accessible through their app, making it practical to manage everything with just one account. To learn more or download their app, visit their account at @wiyakrides.
My internet has been super slow all day and seems I’m not alone. According to a Reddit user, @Kuwait_anon, the GCX/Falcon cable system is down which is causing significant internet outage in Kuwait. The GCX/Falcon undersea cable system serves as a vital international data route connecting the Middle East to global networks.
I haven’t been able to find another source for this information. Citra doesn’t have any details, and neither does my internet provider, Zain. However, based on how slow my internet has been today, having major undersea cables down could explain why.
This week I finished Yellowstone. I was up to date before this last season started, but since my wife hadn’t watched Yellowstone before we binged watched all 5 seasons over a period of around 3 weeks. It’s such a great show with such a good last season and finale. If I had a Top 10 tv shows list it would be in it for sure.
Other than that I watched the movie Anora this week. What a great movie, so chaotic and funny, I loved it. The trailer doesn’t really do it any justice, nor does the movie description. Just watch it.
Let me know in the comments what you recently watched or planning to watch.
Movies at the Cinemas
The movies below are now showing at the local cinemas:
Atyab Al Marshoud has been part of Kuwait’s history since 1925, when founder Sulaiman Al Marshoud, initially arranging transportation for Hajj pilgrims, became intrigued by fragrances during a trip to India. He soon opened Kuwait’s first fragrance shop, sourcing oud and bakhoor from Southeast Asia. His fragrances quickly became popular, attracting the attention of Kuwait’s royal family. Upon Sulaiman’s passing, his sons Abdulrazaq and Waleed continued expanding the family business.
In 1991, Waleed Al Marshoud borrowed 8,000 KD to open the company’s first Salhiya store while serving as a police officer. Years later, his son Marshoud registered the brand in Paris, hoping to collaborate with a high-end perfumery. When that deal fell through, he strategically reclaimed the inventory, accelerated sales efforts, and launched a factory in Paris by 2015. These moves propelled the company’s growth, eventually leading to a global presence of 86 stores, 500 sales points, and revenue surpassing 25 million KWD.
Eager to break into London’s luxury scene, Marshoud initially aimed to partner with Harrods, but strict regulations made it challenging. Undeterred, he opened a standalone store in Knightsbridge in 2020. In 2022, after two years of development, they launched Marshoud 4 Red which became an instant hit among both local and international audiences. The store’s revenue surged over 400%, prompting Harrods to revisit a partnership offer, which Atyab Al Marshoud declined to protect its London exclusivity.
As they celebrate 100 years, Atyab Al Marshoud is more than just a brand, it’s a legacy. A reminder of how something as simple as a scent can carry stories, evoke memories, and connect generations. atyabalmarshoud.com
It looks like Lindsay Lohan is in Kuwait for the holidays. Lindsay was spotted by music teacher @fai_sms at the Lebanese restaurant Ibn El Jabal in Kuwait City.
In case you haven’t heard, Lindsay Lohan married Kuwaiti financier Bader Shammas a couple of years ago, which means she pops into Kuwait every so often. It’s pretty surreal—and the only way it could get more tabloid-worthy is if Al Pacino decided to spend New Year’s in Kuwait with his Kuwaiti girlfriend.
I originally posted about Haydo back in 2006. But, this is the story again with some details corrected. I no longer know what the original source of my information was, but there were some timeline inaccuracies and some exaggerated details. So this is as accurate as the story can be with the information I found.
Back in October 1981, Kuwait played a World Cup qualifying match in New Zealand. Just before kickoff, some Kiwi fans displayed an offensive banner reading “Stick to ya camels” as the Kuwaiti team came onto the field. Kuwait went on to win that match, 2–1.
A couple of months later, the two teams met again, this time in Kuwait. The Kuwaiti Football Association adopted a camel named Haydo as its mascot, and just before the game started, they brought out a few camels to parade around the stadium—demonstrating Kuwait’s pride in its heritage. Kuwait drew the match and secured qualification for the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
Kuwait was the first Arab country from Asia to qualify for the tournament. A Spanish newspaper later claimed the Kuwaiti national team would be late to the World Cup because they would be “traveling on the backs of their camels!” Contrary to that prediction, Kuwait arrived early—so early that neither journalists nor locals knew they were even in Spain.
In an effort to gain attention, the head of the Kuwaiti Football Association told a French journalist (who was there to cover the arrival of the French team) that “the Kuwaiti team would withdraw from the competition unless they could bring their mascot, Haydo.” Within hours, the hotel was packed with reporters keen to find out more about the camel mascot.
Eventually, the Spanish authorities and the hotel manager agreed, allowing the Kuwaiti team to bring their camel as long as it stayed in the hotel’s backyard. The head of the Kuwaiti Football Association then called the Moroccan Minister of Sport, requesting that a camel be sent to Spain as soon as possible. He also ordered a custom T-shirt for it.
All the buzz surrounding the camel drew a lot of attention from locals and journalists, making Kuwait’s presence truly felt. From that point on, Haydo became the official mascot of the Kuwaiti national team.
