Country Information:
The capital is Kuwait City and the country’s population is about 4 million. The official language is Arabic and the official religion is Islam. The time zone is 7 hours ahead of EST.
Visitors who love to shop or who want to see part of the daily life and culture in Kuwait should visit The Avenues, a popular mall with brand name stores and lots of restaurants, making it a great place for groups or families to visit. Try going earlier in the day to avoid large crowds. Also worth a visit in Kuwait City is the Mirror House, a beautiful home open for tours of the vast artwork representing love, philosophy, religion, arts, science, and history. The creator, Lidia, leads each tour herself and will tell travelers about the art she created there with her husband. There are even wonderful homemade snacks to enjoy.
Jim’s Perspectives:
Architecturally speaking, Kuwait is one of the more non-descript and hum-drum countries in the Middle East, located in one of the most inhospitable deserts on the planet. However, it is a port city and has an enormous port on a deep harbor on the Persian Gulf, giving it strategic significance. Iraq invaded and looted Kuwait in 1990 and it has taken a while to recover.
Let’s be clear: anyone expecting another version of Doha, Dubai or Abu Dhabi will be very disappointed with Kuwait City. However, there is a lot of building going on here, and the Kuwait Tower is a site to behold, standing 600+ feet high.
