ShareBy Mahmoud Zakaria
The name “Kuwait” is derived from the diminutive form of the word “kout”, which means a square-shaped house resembling a fortress or a castle near the water. The name was inspired by the small fort located within the lands of Kuwait City. When discussing the establishment and founding of Kuwait, we may face some difficulties in determining a fixed date for when exactly Kuwait was founded and in which year the Al-Sabah family settled in Kuwait along with other families.
However, the best estimates suggest that Kuwait was founded around the year 1713. Since then, Kuwait has been ruled by the Al-Sabah family to this day. Thanks to this wise leadership, Kuwait evolved from a sheikhdom into a thriving commercial hub with a large fleet of trade ships during the 19th century. Kuwait became a center for building sailing ships until the early 1950s. It is estimated that in 1939, there were still 150 Kuwaiti sailing ships navigating traditional trade routes.
Due to its proximity to and dependence on the sea, the people of old Kuwait built their homes near the shore, especially prominent figures, city merchants and sea captains. The houses stood in a single row along the coastline, as if they were reaching out to capture the fresh sea breeze.
Around the year 1789, the city was surrounded by a wall. The reason for constructing this wall was the decline of the Bani Khalid tribe’s influence, which had controlled the eastern Arabian Peninsula, including Kuwait. The first wall was built from clay, stretching for one mile. It was considered a temporary barrier and was believed to have collapsed due to rain and weather conditions.
The Kuwaitis later built two more walls for protection against invaders. The second wall was constructed in 1814 and had seven gates, while the third wall was built in 1920. With Kuwait’s entry into the oil era, the wall was removed in 1957 during the reign of Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah.
Despite Kuwait’s desert location along the waterfront, drinking water sources were limited, with only a few freshwater wells inside the country. Kuwaitis suffered greatly due to the scarcity of drinking water. Before oil tankers appeared in the Gulf waters, Kuwait had several dhow water carriers, commonly known as water ships, which transported water from the Shatt Al-Arab to Kuwait.
However, the discovery of oil and the revenues generated from it brought about widespread social and economic changes, marking the end of Kuwait’s maritime prosperity. A new generation found employment in government positions or in the oil industry.
Kuwait Towers, inaugurated in 1979, stand on the waterfront as another landmark among the many modern achievements of the country. The main tower rises to a height of 147 meters. The upper half of the largest tower’s top sphere functions as a restaurant with a revolving platform offering an aerial panoramic view of the city. The lower half of the sphere serves as a water reservoir with a capacity of 4.37 million liters, while the second tower can store an additional 4.5 million liters of water.
Over decades, Kuwait has witnessed development in all political, economic and commercial fields. One of the most significant milestones in this transformation was the discovery of oil in the 1930s, which marked a monumental shift in the lives of Kuwaitis.
