By Faten Omar

KUWAIT: Today marks the anniversary of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, which occurred on August 2, 1990. The crimes of the invasion made an impact on the people of Kuwait, including new generations that witnessed the events as children, along with others who were born later. Some Kuwaiti museums document the brutal Iraqi invasion and remain witness to the extent of the destruction left behind in order to honor those who sacrificed themselves for the sake of liberating this country.

Al-Qurain Martyrs Museum is considered the most prominent symbol of Kuwaiti resistance, as it witnessed a battle in which 12 citizens were martyred. The house is still witness to the steadfastness of the people of Kuwait. It is located in Qurain and opens its doors from 10 am to midnight. The house was converted into a museum to tell the story of the martyrs and war. The house includes a variety of weapons used by members of the resistance, in addition to information about this period, where a bloody battle took place in this house between Iraqi forces and Kuwaiti fighters on Feb 24, 1991, with 12 members of the Kuwaiti resistance killed.

Late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah issued a decision that this house be converted into a historical museum in order to perpetuate the memory of these martyrs. The museum has been divided into several halls. The first hall contains pictures of the martyrs and their belongings, including the weapons that were used during the battle. The second hall overlooks the back garden of the house.

The third hall includes a number of books on the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and its background. Bait Al-Othman Museum is also a historical building located in Hawally, and its working hours are from 9 am to 1 pm and 4 pm to 9:30 pm. The museum contains a number of weapons from the invasion, in addition to military clothes, various documents and notes that tell the suffering of the people of Kuwait and what they went through.

The museum tells the history of Kuwait in general, but there is a wing dedicated to the Iraqi Invasion and a part for the martyr’s office that contains pictures, information and belongings of martyrs of Kuwait, including the bullets they were shot with, weapons, clothes they wore with marks of torture and diaries they wrote back then.