Places of Interest Outside Kuwait City



		Desert Lizard


	There are about 400 species of plant in Kuwait. One of the most common is the bright green rimth, a bush that, along with the brighter arfaj and the salty hamdh, feeds grazing domesticated livestock. Al-awsaj, a thorny and hardy plant with red flowers, is also a favorite of camels. The bedouins still use some desert plants for tea and as poultices for snake bite. January, February, and March are the best months to go searching for wild flowers. Do not delay if you know they are blooming: once it gets hot, they dry up quickly. Also in spring you can find the desert truffle in dry crevices in the ground in such areas as Suleibiya and Hafar Al-Batin.

	Unfortunately, many wild animals indigenous to

Kuwait have been hunted to extinction. But some exotic migrating birds still pass through, the dung beetle still keeps up his busy lifestyle, and the desert mouse, lizards, and the dhab, a spiny-tailed monitor lizard,

	have not receded into mere memories. There are many snakes, but few poisonous ones; and, like all things small and quick, scorpions prevail in parts of this harsh landscape with searing temperatures.

	The bedouins herd sheep and goats more often than camels, although some camels are raised for their milk, meat for feasts, and for camel racing. If you want to take pictures, look for them in winter in such areas as Hafar Al-Batin, Subiya, and near Minagish.

	One nearly extinct wild animal was the desert wolf;



		Shepherd at Mutlaa

this predator, however, has been making a comeback, and recently a couple have been seen in outer suburbs near residential areas. Desert foxes and cats have also made rare recent appearances.



		Desert Bird


		Check with local authorities before setting out to camp or see the sights in the desert. Most areas have been cleared of land mines, but it is best to get official confirmation.


	Organically rich silt carried into the Gulf from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers has formed extensive mud flats in Sulaibikhat Bay which support many varieties of bird and marine life. Flamingoes and other wading birds such as the heron, egret, sandpiper, cormorant, tern, and hoopoe winter here. Algae of different types bind the sediment together. Numerous kinds of crab, tunneling deep

in the mud, survive temperatures that can reach 50° Celsius, and fulfill an important ecological function by aerating the top of the mud zone.