Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: Kuwait Times was invited once again by a group of Kuwaiti photographer headed by Muhammad Al-Hudhud to come along with them to tour a glasshouse where the man-made 'rainforest' was placed. The Bayan Botanical Garden is not exactly a rainforest, but you could be easily forgiven for mistaking it for such - with its wide variety of exotic plants.

A plant sanctuary located inside Bayan Palace, it is open to the public every Thursday (from 9 am to 1 pm) and offers the perfect escape from Kuwait's urban jungle. To enter, you must present your civil ID and take a visitor's badge, which you should wear during your tour of the garden. After passing through the lobby, you enter into a broad open space with water installations and lovely patches of green grass.

Photos with your phone camera are permitted. The moment you enter the glasshouse, you'll immediately feel the refreshing and colorful environment surrounding you. On the left are plants - native to the tropical environment, while on the right of the greenhouse are plants native to hotter areas. In the tropical section, various types of tropical plants and flowers are artistically displayed from palm to banana trees to ferns and wild orchids to flowering trees.

The sound of water fountains provides soothing background music. In the water plants section, there are lilies and native plants that need lots of water to thrive. The entire display can be covered within 30 minutes, but if you are the type of person who talks to plants, even four hours will not be enough for you. The plants are well-maintained and the gardeners are more than happy to take pictures of you inside the garden.

Officially opened in Feb 24, 2015, the special botanical glasshouse - with various climatic zones, was inaugurated by HH the Amir. Various ministers and high-ranking government officials also attended the opening ceremony. The garden is located at Bayan Palace and occupies an area of 15,793 sq m. Almost 3,500 sq m of space is devoted to the cultivation of various exotic plants in the glasshouse. Despite high temperatures, the indoor climate is carefully controlled.