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Introduction
KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait City is a bustling metropolis of high-rise office buildings, luxury hotels, wide boulevards and well-tended parks and gardens. Its seaport is used by oil tankers, cargo ships and many pleasure craft. Its most dominant landmark is Kuwait Towers, and its oldest is Seif Palace, built in 1896, the interior of which features original Islamic mosaic tilework, though these suffered badly during the Iraqi occupation. The Kuwait National Museum was also stripped of many artefacts – part of it has been renovated and is now open to the public. The Sadu House, near the museum, is made of coral and gypsum and is used as a cultural museum to protect the arts and crafts of Bedouin society. It is an ideal place to purchase Bedouin goods. The huge Grand Mosque in the centre is also worth visiting.
ELSEWHERE: A port with many old dhows, Failakai Island can be reached by regular ferry services. There are also some Bronze Age and Greek archaeological sites well worth viewing, including the island’s Greek temple. Traditional-style boums and sambuks (boats) are still built in Al Jahrah, although nowadays vessels are destined to work as pleasure boats rather than pearl fishing or trading vessels. Mina Al Ahmadi, lying 12 miles south of Kuwait City, is an oil port with immense jetties for supertanker traffic. The Oil Display Centre pays homage to the work of the Kuwait Oil Company.
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