Kuwait is one of the smallest country in the middle east (still bigger than Qatar) and is one of the GCC countries. Invaded by Iraq in 1990 (liberated in 1991), Kuwait has one of the highest per capita in the world backed by its large oil reserves. Kuwait City is the capital of Kuwait and is the political, cultural and economic center of the country.
Kuwait is not known to be a place for tourist to visit and most visitors to the country are citizens from the GCC countries. Well, if you are already in the GCC region, why not drop by at Kuwait City for a day since it's just a short flight away.
Citizens of many countries are offered visa on arrival (VOA) at the Kuwait International Airport. There will be signage (see left side of above picture) at the arrival hall to direct tourist who wants to apply for VOA.
However, not all are exempted from paying the visa fee.
Citizens who are not exempted, needs to purchase 3 Kuwaiti Dinars (10 USD) worth of stamps at the vending machine. If you didn’t exchange some Dinars at your departure airport, no worries, you can exchange some at the airport which are open 24 hours.
Fill up a form and pass it to the counter together with the stamps. There were not many people during the wee hours of the morning and the whole process of obtaining the visa on arrival was less than 10 minutes
Duty free shops inside the airport before immigration clearance.
More shops after you have cleared the immigration.
Bus is a convenient way of travelling around Kuwait and the bus accepts cash. Hop onto a bus at the airport and you’ll be on your way to the city centre. Taxis are more comfortable but it will cost more than 5 KWD to the city instead of just paying less than 1 KWD on a bus. Blue collar expatriates usually takes this mode of public transportation.
Approaching the city, you won’t be able to miss the Liberation Tower. At 372 meter high, the Liberation Tower is one of the tallest structure in Kuwait. The Liberation Tower sure looks nice when lit up.
Dasman Palace is formally the Emir’s palace. Shortly after Iraq forces invaded Kuwait on 2nd August 1990, Dasman Palace was attacked. Even though Kuwait forces tried to defend the palace, they eventually lost and the Iraqis took control of the palace few hours later. The Emir escaped before the assault began. Iraq took only 2 days to conquer Kuwait. Currently, the Emir does not reside inside this palace.
The entrance of Dasman Palace. Couldn’t take a picture of the building as Kuwait has strict policy on photographs.
There are 3 major landmarks in Kuwait City which are Liberation Tower, Kuwait Towers and the Grand Mosque. First stop will be the Kuwait Towers located by the sea behind Dasman Palace. Unlike the Liberation Tower, Kuwait Towers is not very high thus it is not visible from all the part of the city.
Aquapark is a water theme park located beside the towers.
Kuwait Towers consist of 3 towers. The main tower is 187m high and carries 2 spheres. The bottom sphere is a water tank and the upper sphere holds a restaurant.
The second tower houses a water tank and the third tower is there just to illuminate the two larger towers.
Nice place to rest while watching the sunrise at the Kuwait Towers.
Rise and shine.
Completed in 1979, the Kuwait Towers can be considered the most famous landmark in Kuwait City.
The opening hours of the restaurant and the viewing sphere of the Kuwait Towers.
My beau there with a picture of the Kuwait Towers before leaving.
Plenty of beach along the coast of Kuwait City.
About 30 minutes’ walk from Kuwait Towers along the walkway of the coast is the Souk Sharq.
Souk Sharq is actually a mall located beside the sea.
The nice view of Kuwait City’s skyline can be seen from Souk Sharq.
Numerous cafes and restaurants at the Souk Sharq on top of the variety of retail outlets.
Beside the Souk is a fish market.
Fresh seafood are sold in the market.
Fishermen with their sea’s bounty at the Dhow Harbour.
Nice to walk along the sidewalk along the coast of Kuwait. A tower can be seen at the end of the sidewalk at the above picture. That’s the Seif Palace. Dating back to 1880, the Seif Palace was the original seat of the Government of Kuwait. However it was severely damaged during the invasion of Iraq. People are not allowed entry and photographs are strictly prohibited.
Picture of the Prime Minister and the Emir of Kuwait. Photographs are also strictly prohibited even from the outside of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs office. To sum up, no photographs are allowed to be taken of government offices.
Just across the road from the Seif Palace and Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, is the Kuwait’s Grand Mosque.
The Grand mosque looks plain from the outside, but is very beautiful inside. Guided tour are available for tourist. There are no specific time though. Just enquire at the entrance, and they will tell you what time the tour starts. Tours are free and takes about 90 minutes.
While waiting for the tour to start, you can explore the surrounding area.
Al-Babtain Central Library for Arabic Poetry located beside the mosque.
Start of the tour. Women are required to wear an abaya before entering the mosque. The Abaya will be provided free of charge by the mosque.
Important instructions of the mosque.
The beautiful interior of this mosque is truly fascinating.
During prayer, women prays behind the wooden window on the 1st floor.
The Grand mosque is also known as Al-Masjid Al-Kabir.
The Grand Mosque is the main attraction of Kuwait and is not to be missed.
Souq Al Mubarakeya is one of the oldest souqs in Kuwait.
All sorts of stuff can be bought here including some restaurants.
You can purchase some souvenirs here at the souq.
Last stop, the Liberation Tower.
Originally, the tower was intended to be named Kuwait Telecommunication Tower. However, upon completion in 1993, the tower was renamed Liberation Tower, signifying Kuwait’s liberation from Iraq.
The general public are not allowed inside the tower. Just a view from the outside shall suffice.
So how much time will you need to explore the Kuwait City? A day would be sufficient if you don’t spend much of your time shopping.
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