Landmarks
Kuwait City
Kuwait Towers
Three slender towers on a headland in the Gulf, studded with blue and green discs — the Kuwait Towers have been the emblem of the country since they opened in 1979.
Discover
The capital
Kuwait City
Towers, souqs and a waterfront of museums
The capital curves around Kuwait Bay: the Kuwait Towers on their headland, the old souqs and the Grand Mosque at its heart, and a new cultural district of museums and an opera house along the Gulf.
Kuwait City grew from a small 18th-century port town of merchants, boat builders and pearl divers. Until the 1950s it was enclosed by a mud-brick wall; its line is still traced by the ring of Al Soor (Wall) streets and by the long ribbon of Al Shaheed Park.
Inside that line lies the old centre: Souq Al-Mubarakiya, the Grand Mosque, the gold-roofed clock tower of Seif Palace and the modern skyline of Sharq, crowned by the twisting Al Hamra Tower. Arabian Gulf Street follows the shore past the National Museum, Sadu House and the Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah collection to the Kuwait Towers.
Kuwait is a city built around the car, so plan to combine short walks in each district with taxis or ride-hailing between them. The best light — and the most pleasant temperatures for walking the corniche — come in the hours before sunset from October to April.
Also worth knowing
- The fish market and dhow harbour beside Souq Sharq are liveliest in the morning, when the catch comes in.
- Friday mornings are quiet; many shops in the souqs open later in the afternoon.
- The Avenues in Al Rai, about 12 km south-west of the centre, is one of the largest malls in the Gulf.
Kuwait City
Places to visit here
Landmarks
