Lost Identity



As a reflective mirror to our heritage and traditions, Kuwait international museum is the panel to present our identity through history, art and sculptural work. The museum plans were designed and ready to be constructed in 1960’s. It was opened at 1981 and later the planetarium was a later addition to the museum and it was opened at 1986. The museum was designed by the French architect   Michel Ecohard. The land of the museum was utilized as residence of Sheikh Ahmed Al Jaber Al Subah. The government took the lot and converted it to a museum. Sheikh Ahmed Al Jaber Al Subah had a lot of historical artifacts that were the main collection of Dar Al Athar museum show room and was took back and displayed in this museum. The visitors of the museum will discover the wonderful art collection of the Al Sabah dynasty.

Kuwait National Museum

The museum is a rectangular plan set around a central garden and at the north perimeter of it Al Muhalab boom lies around 16m from the sea which is a big and old trading wooden ship that signifies the beauty of that era's craftsman ship of the entire museum,  overlooking the gulf street. 

Al Muhalab Boom

         The museum comprises five main buildings.  The first building is on the left from the main entrance contains artifacts that was founded on Failaka Island and some features of old Kuwaiti houses such as “Babb Bo Khokha” and other things. The second building contains  artifacts that was utilized during 1940’s and 1950’s in Kuwait and It includes detailed information that was nicely presented in a panoramic view with statues presenting scenes of the Kuwaiti traditional daily activities such as scenes from the market, local neighborhoods, interior of mud houses, governmental buildings and the showcasing of the earliest examples of modern housing after the discovery of oil. Signifying the turning point of the years before and after the oil boom and showing its effects on Kuwaiti Culture and Architectural Society. The third and fourth building was closed because of the gulf war in 1990. The fifth building contains scientific materials and daily video lectures related to astronomy as a later addition to Kuwait national museum which is the planetarium which is part of Kuwait national museum resembles a big oil container. In terms of criticism, there are many problems hat I saw which must must be fixed.  there must be a security check point in order to protect the building from terrorism and theft but it was not at all.   Moreover, there are no clear procedures for the visitors while entering the museum. 

Planetarium

                The museum was popular and many people visited it and foreigners  too but after the gulf war, people stopped visiting the building because it was neglected by the government. The government did not try to fix it until 2000 then pause it till 2015 then the government started the real renovation process at 2015. It is embarrassing as foreigners and citizens are seeing that the building is neglected. We are in 2017! and the museum is still at its abandoned state. Hoping the museum is alive again, with its nice tours and programs that will attract people not only from Kuwait but also from all around the world and become a tourism attraction supposedly!  




Mishal Al Musaileekh

*Photographs taken by Mishal Al Musaileekh