The Red Palace, also known as the Red Fort, is a historic Kuwaiti fort built in 1897 by Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah (Mubarak Al-Kabeer). Over the years, it has served various purposes and now stands as a museum, preserving Kuwait’s rich history and heritage.
History researcher Abeer Al-Mutairi explained that the palace was originally constructed as the headquarters for the Jahra army and stables. It served as a staging point for military operations, most notably during the Battle of Jahra in 1920. "Sheikh Salem took shelter with the people of Jahra during the battle,” she noted. After the battle, a protective wall was built around the palace, which later functioned as a customs center for goods entering and leaving the area.
Following World War II, the Red Palace became an information hub, eventually housing Kuwait’s first media center in 1959. In 1986, it became an official center of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters. The palace underwent restorations in 2005 and 2023 before reopening in 2024.
Al-Mutairi highlighted that the palace also served as a temporary residence for visiting sheikhs. She explained that the sheikh’s quarters occupied about a quarter of the total area and included secret rooms used for storing weapons, as well as facilities for camels and horses. The Al-Saeed family, particularly Abdulrahman Suleiman Al-Saeed, known as the "Ruhayim of the palace”, supervised the protection of the weapons.
"The palace was constructed using red clay found in a specific area in Jahra, and thick walls were built to regulate temperature during winter and summer,” Al-Mutairi said. She added the palace features four towers, known as Al-Mazaghil, which served as watchtowers equipped with small openings for guns to defend against attacks.
One of the fort’s distinctive features is its well. During the siege, dates were used to sweeten the water due to its salinity and scarcity, providing a vital resource for the people sheltering there. The palace also housed a military planning headquarters, accommodating many elderly people and children during the conflict.
The palace’s largest section was dedicated to stables, with separate facilities for summer and winter seasons. There were also private rooms for guards, the sheikh’s administrative team, an imam near the mosque and guest rooms for summer and winter. The sheikh’s majlis, a diwaniya furnished with traditional Sadu carpets, completed the structure’s diverse functions.