Old house Kuwait

This one is beside Marina Mall. 

 

I wonder what the area looked like when this was built.

Old house in Mangaf

I spotted this old house as I was driving through Mangaf and had to stop to take pictures before it gets torn down. I wish they would make every one of these old houses a little musuem where it stands. They could just refurbish is so it is steady and build a gate around it, kind of like the old doors that were once part of the wall built around Kuwait.

Time is running out and modernization is taking over, erasing history.

Anyone remember Tanoreen Restaurant?

Anyone who has lived in Kuwait for a number of years might remember Tanoreen restaurant in Fahaheel. When my husband and I first met this was one of the places we would go for sheesha and food but sadly it has been abandoned because of progress. The whole block, which is the first right turn after the main traffic light in Fahaheel is set to be demolished some day to build something new. As usual all businesses were closed and year after year they sit deserted. I think the block is owned by Al Dabbous family which of course own everything in the area.

 

Now as you can see the restaurant sits deserted with no sign of the life it once had. The big tent restaurant, the little hutch cabins, the outside seating areas and the playground are no longer there. I tried to find pictures of it before but there don't seem to be any.

 

The open space in the back of the fountain was where the big tent once stood.

 After looking at these pictures I realize it used to be an old Kuwaiti house. I always went at night when the fountain lights were on and never noticed it. I bet the whole block used to be full of old Kuwaiti houses and now there is....Center Point.

 

It looks like it's time to take pictures of everything old in Kuwait as progress seems to be killing the past.

What To Do in Kuwait- Bait Al Bader

The next stop on my cultural journey lead us to the Kuwait National Museum which my husband has never been to. I've visited it before and have posts about the museum but this time I took the time to check out Al-Bader house. It was built between 1838-1848 and was home to the Al-Badr family and is on the list of Kuwaiti heritage sites.

I love, love, love this house and I want to live there! Located inside the Kuwait National Museum on the right side as you enter.22451194

What To Do in Kuwait- Behbehani Complex

If you are into visiting historical places in Kuwait then this is one of the places to see. After having lunch we took a tour of the Complex as I had never seen the inside of the complex. Since the construction of the highway the Complex is not as crowded and you can take a walk and check out the buildings. It is so beautiful and I wish I could live there! Unfortunately it seems as if no one is taking care of it anymore. Some buildings need some new paint and the foliage needs some trimming but I love it. 

A little history about the Complex:
Behbehani Complex is located in Al Watia area which means "footmarks" in Kuwaiti dialect. The area was given the name because people used to stroll beside the shore leaving their footprints in the wet sand. In the early 1940's Yusuf Shreen Behbehani built the Complex as his first major real estate project. The Complex was designed by an Iranian architect and built by Iranian workers. The complex has 28 dwelling units in which half of the units were occupied by the Behbehani family while the rest were rented out to foreigners. In the mid 1960's the Behbehani family left and over time the houses fell into a state of disrepair. During the Iraqi invasion the Complex was looted by Iraqi soldiers. The complex is considered on of the very first two-story residential sites and 40,000 KD was spent on repairing it. Cities in Transition scroll to page 32.

The back side pictured above used to have a huge parking lot and there was a round-a-bout and was once a crowded place to visit.  I remember getting stuck in traffic and having to fight for parking sadly the highway cut the area in half and a lot of the businesses relocated or shut down. I think it can once again be a happening place to visit if the NCCAL would put me in charge.

What to Do in Kuwait- Shatiya Watiya Kuwaiti Restaurant

This will be the first of a series of posts on what to do in Kuwait. This is the first place we visited on my last day off. I wanted Kuwaiti food but I knew Freej would be over crowded with people since it's the holidays. I remembered the old Kuwaiti restaurant in the Behbehani complex. I was taken there for the first time in 2003 and I fell in love with the place. Since then it has changed dramatically with the construction of the new highway. The complex now sits alone and only has a few tenants but it is such an amazing place to visit.

 

When you enter the restaurant it's like stepping back in time, the decorations are from the old days and you could just imagine what life was life back then. It's a fairly large area which can seat plenty of people and it was so quiet, of course there was my table and one other table with guests, it gets a little loud when it's crowded so I suggest going there for an early lunch. They let me explore the rooms and memorabilia and it was like a museum.



I had my favorite gaboot and marubian while my hubby had the dried shrimp one. Great place to visit! It's located behind the Church in Kuwait City. Contact number: 22422088 FYI: They only take cash.

Old Kuwaiti Houses- Salmiya

These are some of the last remaining houses behind Marina Mall and they sit on prime real estate. I think the first pictured building is going to be demolished as it evicted the stores that were located there. The other houses are on the opposite side of the road and are fenced in as well waiting for a buyer. Where is the National Council of Culture, Arts and Letters? Why isn't this council trying to save the few remaining buildings?

Is someone doesn't stand up to save these buildings they will be lost forever.