Bayt Al-Bader dates back to the mid-nineteenth century, and remains today as a vestige of desert-style mud-brick housing, with private courtyards and walled peripheries constructed to dispel street noise and dust. Particularly impressive are the arched entryways and main doors. The National Museum currently occupies a number of small rooms in Bayt Al-Bader as administrative offices. (Tel: 242-9158)

The walls surrounding old Kuwait City — one built in the earliest days of the nation, another in 1814, and a third in 1921 — were torn down during urban renewal in 1954. The old city gates, however, still stand as monuments to Kuwait’s past. They are located in the vacant strip running along First Ring Road at Bneid Al Qar, at the end of Mubarak Al Kabeer Street, at the end of Riyadh Street, just past the end of Fahd Al Salem Street, and opposite the Sheraton Hotel. Each has been recently renovated to preserve its historical authenticity and flavor.

Jahra Gate

When Kuwait was a British protectorate, many buildings were built in the colonial style, while wealthy locals adopted modern techniques to construct traditional compounds with Arabian arches, recessed walkways, colonnades, and courtyards. The Behbehani Compound in Watya is a surviving example of this, as are the restored Kuwait Municipality Offices.

Gulf-going vessels called dhows and ocean-going ones called booms lay scattered up and down the coastline of Kuwait. In the city, across from the National Assembly Building, are old dhows once launched for pearl diving and fishing. The Dhow Harbor is not enclosed, and so is open to viewing by the public.