The Rich History of Kuwait

Control of this pivotal area shifted often, and people from throughout the known world passed through the Gulf, though there are few historical records. There is tantalizing evidence of an early Christian community on Failaka. The Amir of Hormuz dominated the entire Gulf for a time, as did the Umayyad caliphs. About the same time that Arab civilization declined, Western nations became interested in the area. Portuguese control of the Gulf began at the end of the 1400s, boosting the economy of the whole region through international commerce. The Dutch and British soon became their rivals.


	It is clear from Western records that an Arab community called Qurain was well-established at Kuwait Bay. What is not clear is who was in control at any given time, for there were fierce tribal rivalries as well. Many of the tribes were nomadic bedouins in any event.


	In 1710, much of the Utub tribe emigrated from Najd in what is now Saudi Arabia because of a devastating drought. They moved first to Qatar, and eventually to Qurain with its deep wells, and lived peacefully under the aegis of the then strongest sheikh in Eastern Arabia. Records of the British East India Company indicate that the Utubi Sabah family was living in Kuwait by 1716.

In 1756 the long-term residents of Qurain, who spent much of their time at sea, and the newly arrived immigrants decided that the instability in the area called for the establishment of a permanent government. By consensus and acclamation, they chose the Sabah family to rule, and modern Kuwait was born. The first Amir was Sabah ibn Jaber, and all twelve of the succeeding rulers have been descendants of his.


	The system is not a strictly hereditary one. Though many amirs have succeeded their fathers, the ruling family chooses the most qualified man from each succeeding generation of Sabahs. The current crown prince, for example, is a cousin of the current Amir.

	With a ruling family from the interior of Arabia, and a large population of nomads, the country had strong desert and bedouin ties from the start. The bedouins continued their existence as wandering herdsmen of sheep, goats, and camels, living in tents woven from livestock hair, and moving on every ten days or so. They were renowned for being austere, fiercely independent, and yet extremely loyal and hospitable. They lived chiefly on rice, yogurt, and dates — and lamb on special

occasions. They carried on their customs and crafts of weaving and falconry, and had a rich tradition of folktales, songs, and dances. In the winters they would roam searching for grazing land, while in the scorching summers they would camp around the wells and oases near Kuwait City. This brought them into contact with the permanent settlement of traders and seamen and, increasingly, pearl divers and merchants that was growing around the harbor.