Kuwait

etymology
- [kuwaiti ministry of information] kuwait is a dimiutive of word "koot", which means a square house that is shaped as a fort or castle near the water.  The name is also inspired by the small fort located within the lands of kuwait city.  During the 17th c, kuwait was called "al grain", which is a diminutive of the word "qarn", meaning the hill or highland

Government
-  ministry of information https://www.media.gov.kw/
- informative publications department

-  The Public Institute for Social Security (“PIFSS”) is a Kuwaiti governmental agency whose purpose is to ensure through a social security system, the continued welfare for Kuwait citizens.

Essentially the agency is a funded through payments from both the employer and the employee. Under law NO. 61. of 1976 ( the “Social Insurance Law”), the employer must register its new employee within 10 days of employment.  Upon registration, the employee and the employer are to pay a certain percentage of the employee salary into the PIFFS fund. In addition to the PIFSS system, Kuwait has also created the Manpower and Government Restructuring program (“MGRP”) to ensure the continued welfare for citizen employed in the private sector. The MGRP essentially provides a citizen with a monthly supplement to his or her salary and the amount depends on the educational background of the citizen: the higher the education, the higher the supplement. https://www.tamimi.com/law-update-articles/understanding-the-relationship-between-the-public-institute-for-social-security-and-the-manpower-and/

•  https://in.reuters.com/article/kuwait-litigation-man-group/kuwait-pension-fund-says-files-lawsuit-against-uks-man-group-idINKCN1P31JQ Kuwait’s Public Institution for Social Security (PIFSS) said on Wednesday it had filed a lawsuit against UK asset manager Man Group Plc and its subsidiaries. The pension fund is seeking $156 million in compensation relating to secret contracts between Man Group and a former PIFSS executive between 1996 to 2013, it said in a statement.

kuwait governorates
- an amiri decree was issued in 1961 to divide kuwait into three governorates - al-asima, hawally and al-ahmadi.  Al-jahra governate was added in 1979 as the fourth, al-farwaniya governorate was added in 1988, the mubarak al-kabeer governorate in 1999 as the sixth and latest.
- al-asima

• encompasses the central rule and place of kuwait government, all islands under kuwaiti sovereignty, as well as all the territorial waters surrounding its coasts fall under its jurisdiction

<to get more info>   abdaly
- an area on the northern lands of kuwait, and a key point on the borders to iraq, al-abdily is home to many kuwaiti farms 

al ahmadi
- known as the arab village before its establishment, englishmen called it fleij arab.  It was also known as al thahar, or thahar al adan.  It is named ahmadi in honor of its founder, hh sheikh ahmed al jaber, the amir of kuwait at that time. It came to existence somewhere between 1946 and 1949.
- oil

• burqan oil field exported first cargo of oil from kuwait in 1946
• first houses of kuwait oil company were tents and cottages 
• oil city and oil port center for KOC and came to be known as the first oil governate
• the largest oil well (burqan well)
• abdullah port was considered the biggest port for oil exporting

bubyan
- the largest kuwait island; name originates from al-bayan or the appearance, added with the prefix "bu"; the southwest tip is called ras al-barsha, and on the north side are semi creeks effaced, and two khors (bays), al-melh khor, and another large khor; island joined with kuwaiti mainland by a bridge and al-sabiya khor which extends from al-zubair khor to kuwait inlet divide bubyan from kuwait's desert

dasman's palace

- The Battle of Dasman Palace (Arabic: معركة قصر دسمان‎ maʿraka Qaṣr Dasmān), also called the Battle of Dasman, was a battle between the Kuwaiti and Iraqi forces during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990.

al-fahaheel is a diminitive of "fahal", the male palm.  It is not a kuwaiti word by definition, but is well-known within the arabian gulf region.  Historically, arabs called many places by fahal, fahlaa and fahlan. Fahaheel was an agricultural area that relied on the ground water from the wells in the area.  It is also a place that is well konwn as a diving area where people worked in pearl diving and sea travel for trade. 

• al-shuaiba industrial area

failaka island

- greek name meaning the white island

- people come to visit areas such as al qariniya, al sabahiya, al dasht for ritual blessing (al kuder)

- characterised by fresh water wells and arable soil

- ancient antiquities were discovered in 1958 ; oldest antiquities related to stone age (5000-8000bc) , slavery culture (3500-4500bc), a thousand year period of cultural stagnation, beginning of bronze age (1200-2400bc
- an excavation of remnants of delmon culture was discovered. There was a trade boom between the regional states and between the al-sind valley to the east, and the al rafidain valley to the north

- alexander the great sent his fleet to the island thinking that it would bring a wealth in trade and goods no less than ancient phoenicia.  He named it ikaros, and modern excavations have found remains of a temple for greek goddess artemis, buildings surrounding its grounds, as well as a treasure trove of vessels, sculptures, and greek coins.  

al farwaniya
- became a residential area in recent years

al funtas is the oldest village in kuwait.  To its north is a smaller township called al-funaitees.  Historically, the people there worked as pearl divers and agriculturalists.  The name "funtas" is derived from the wooden boxes that were used by the people of old as a means for water storage.  These storage boxes were kept prominently in this area, along with its fresh water wells, and were taken aboard the ships for sea travel.

- al funaitees is a diminutive of al funtas and is known for its fresh water wells that were abundantly near the homes of its people. Since 1946, al-funaitees was famed as a place for people to set up their tents to enjoy the spring.

哈瓦利  Hawally (Arabic: حولي‎) is a city area of the Hawalli Governorate located in the State of Kuwait. Hawally is a large city suburb and the commercial center for most computer-related goods in Kuwait. Prior to the first Gulf War, it housed a large number of Palestinians, but many left during and after the War. Currently, Hawally is home to many of the Arab populations in Kuwait including Egyptians, Syrians, Iraqis and Lebanese. It is also home to many Asians including, Filipinos, Indians, Nepalis, Bengalis and Pakistanis.

- [kuwaiti ministry of information] established in 1324 ah 1906 ad; it was the nearest village to kuwait and was famous for its fresh water wells that later helped to develop it into a park and resort; name derives from the fresh water that was found there.  It was said that when the first well of water was developed, people began to shift from abu dwara water to hawally water, and this shifting and emigration was the inspiration for the name; antoher story was a person called "hawali" first lived in the area (purportedly from the al awazem tribe) and planted vegetables.  The diving center is also called hawally (heir to hawally - place where oysters were picked, and many pearls found.  Heir is the single form of hirat, meaning "treasure".  It is far from the shore, and was called "hawali" because of the fresh water found in the depths before it.  Hawali heir is at the bottom depths and is a desolate place - a place that tired many divers in reaching it).

Al Jahra (Arabic: الجهراء‎) is a town located 32 kilometres (20 mi) west of Kuwait City in Kuwait. Al Jahra is the capital of the Al Jahra Governorate of Kuwait as well as the surrounding Al Jahra District which is agriculturally based.Al Jahra was once dominated by agricultural land and began as a small oasis village. Historically it became known as a notable trading point for camels and a stopping place on the way to Kuwait City. It gradually grew into a town along the historic Kuwait Red Fort. Al Jahra was the site of the Battle of Jahra in 1920, a conflict between Kuwaiti and Saudi forces. Today, there is a national monument commemorating the battle. The conflict was settled in 1922 when King Abdul Aziz al-Saud recognized the independence of Kuwait in exchange for territory.
-[kuwaiti ministry of information] historicaly called kazima, Jaw al-harbain, taima, and al jawhara. Present name from the notion that when one digs for a well in al jahra, water will spring.  It was also said that its buildings were so dazzling to the eyes of the desert traveler.  The red palace built by sheikh mubarak al sabah in 1904-5 resides in al jahra village.  It was site of al jahra battle in 1339 ah/1920ad between sheikh salem al sabah and faisal al dwaish.  Sheikh salem surrounded the red palace but was unable to defeat the kuwaiti forces.  
- um alaish satellite station

al julea'a
- meaning the small castle.  It consists of "juliat al ahrar" (meaning slaves of the north).  It is also said that there were once two castles built there.  One of them used to be occupied by the portuguese, and the other by slaves who were mostly from african colonies.  They were both entrusted to guard their respective castles.  It is now a focus for chalets where owners may enjoy leisure activities on the land in winter, and on the sea in summer

j'leeb al-shuyoukh
- originally known for its sweet water well near al-udhaila, which was digged by sheikhs mohammad and jarrah al-sabah

kazima
- once the old name of kuwait. Located in the northwest corner of kuwait bay, its eastern region is called dohat kazima, and extends as a sliver of landscape to the sea to the west, ending at a cape called ras kazima or kazima head.  It was known as a rich source of water and allowed for an abundance of grass for cattle grazing. The area was the site of that al-salasel battle between muslims (led by khaled bin al-waleed) and the persians (led by hermez) in muharam 12AH.

<to get more info> Kazmah
- [kuwaiti ministry of information] was an ancient desert port for caravans coming from persia and mesopotamia en route to eastern and internal parts ot the peninsula.  It remained for a long time the commercial link between the indian ocean sea, syria, and europe.  At the outset ot 17th century a group of families and tribes began to arrive in this region as immigrants from najd.
 - place name appeared in a mid 18th c french map drawn by herauli

khiran
- Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City is a planned community in Khiran Kuwait built with canals forming 200 kilometres (120 mi) of artificial shoreline^[1]. The community is intended to house 250,000 residents.^[2] The city was inaugurated in mid 2015.^[3][4][5] The artificial islands that make up this community are unusual because they were built excavating large channels in desert land rather than using reclaimed land. The first phase of the project was opened to the sea in 2004^[6] The multi-billion dollar development is in the middle of a 25 year construction period, with ten planned phases.


al mangaf
- as one of the al-almadi governorate townships, al-mangaf is can agricultural center, and is named after sea rocks which appear at the surface of the sea off its coastline.  Flourishing, it is modern community with a full range of government and private centers and utilities.

maskan
- located north of failaka
- origin of name comes from masjan, which means the place where it living in

um al-maradim
- so called according to the shift and tides of sand and sea, as well as its rich ecology.  Al-mardam is name denoting a complex or factory. Pluralized, it becomes maradim, and thus, um al-maradim, or the mother of maradim

um al-nam'l
- often called the big island; has a fishing area for al-awazem, and a cottage for lodging.  Named because of the large ants that live within its environs.  Old islamic archeology was also explored.

Ouha (island) <to get more info>
- was once populated in the past, but now is utilised as a rest stop for fishermen and sea lovers

Qarooh
- a sedimentary island, named qarooh for the asphalt that came from it.

UM QAS'R
- as told by the fomer ruler of kuwait, sheikh mubarak al-sabah, the area Um Qas'r was initially called Al-Buhaith, and was an old fort that was constructed by ahmad bin rizq during the reign of sheikh jaber Al-Sabah.  It was later renamed Um Qas'r by the Bedouins.  Ahmad bin rizq is known as one of the chief engineers for water well digging, and his descendants are still in kuwait today.
- the area next to Um Qas'r is now called Al-buhaith, where the former was part of the latter in the past.  After the liberation of kuwait, the UN divided Um Qas'r into two parts between kuwait and iraq by decision no 773/1992 and no 833 at the same year where borders were drawn between kuwait and iraq after the conflict.  The the sea had taken a place as a border between the two countries

al qiblah district
- name comes from word qiblah which refers to the direction of the kuwaiti people, that lies on the west.  It is also called fereij al yusra because it lies on the western side of kuwait.  This district is populated primarily by families who emigrated from najd, or the desert - al khalid, al naqib, al bader, al sagir and al al h'maidhy.  Al ahmadiah school and the american hospital were in it. The people of this district have a great role in the scientific and literary movement in kuwait

al riqa
- established in 1970, al riqa means "that place in the sea that is not very deep", where the water is shallow, and the mud and catechu begin to appear.  It also has its orgins from a marine battle "al riqa" that occured in a shoaled are off the arabian gulf coast.  The battle was between the kuwaiti people and kaab bin amir tribe who were governing over arabstan.  Despite being out-numbered and having smaller ships, kuwait won the battle.

al sabahiya
- established in 1966, it was named after sheikh sabah al salem al sabah after the first year of this rule, and was chosen for development after intense studies on its potential near the al shuaiba industrial area. While many service centers  for the growing people of the area, it recently developed a new area called south al sabahiya. To the north is al sabahiya forest with more than 30,000 species of various thicket plants

al salmiya
- known since the establishment of kuwait as a fishing place for the al-awazem.  Once called demna for the year of dimana (manure) where there was tremendous plant growth due to the excessive fog (algetteita) that occurred in kuwait a century ago.  Because the sheep grazed on the abundant plant growth, they also left behind plenty of manure in its wake. Later, its name was changed to al-anbara but nobody follow this name.  The name changed to al-salmiya in 1953 in honor of abdullah al-salem, the 11th amir of kuwait, who had spent the last 3 years of his reign at that time ruling the country.

al salmy
- according to ibn al riqai, al riqi is the person to make the first well over 1400 years ago

al sharq district
- extends from al-seif palace to dasman palace from the shore line, inhabited by families who emigrated with al sabah such as al-roumi, al-nisf, sagir al ghanim's house who is from al zayid.  Hellal al-mutariy's house is considered as one of the richest in kuwait at that time.  There was also aisa al-qiamy's house the owner of the book (daleel almukhtar fee Ilm al bihar).  The district also includes a mix of persians as well as jews.  The british government accredited departments, the telegraph and the postal center, as well as a doctor under british government charge.  Commerce and diving for pearls are the most important profession at that time.

al wafra
- wells here are rich with mostly fresh water, and in 1948, kuwait signed an agreement with american oil companies, giving them a 60 year contract for oil exploration.  It was here that the al wafra oil well was discovered in 1954. The total land area in al wafra is approximately 9 square miles and it is currently managed by kuwait and saudi arabia.  Many kuwaitis farms operate here and formed a residential grid where many shops and services are available

wara
- wara mountain consists of crisp, sanded rock formations, and has became smaller due to natural corrosion, leaving a small layer of black rock at its top surface.  In arabic history and literature, it was once called awara. e.g. name of bani tameen water near bahrain; place where umru bin hind bani tameen was burned; dwain al-j'reeb water for bani tameen, great valley in al-rima of najd land, al-j'reeb is also a valley which belongs to a rich man during the pre-islamic age, bani fazara; the historical battle between arabs occurred there which later became known as "awara day".  The battle occurred because bak'r bin wael and his people who supported bani (akel al-marar) fought off an invasion led by al-harith bin umru bin hajar al-kindi (an enemy of umru al-qais). Bak'r bin wael defeated al-harith at awara, also known as the battle of awara.

warba
- part of bubyan island, a sandy mass with muddy shorelines
- some archeological findings including structures that suggests it was a settlement of some kind
- name comes from "rubwa" or "hill"; it was changed so that the letter "w" would be shifted from the middle to the first syllable, becoming the "warba" rather than "rabwa" which could mean "a hole down the side".  Other sources claim that "warab" which means "the slanting line" was more befitting, hence the islet became warba

(al wasat) middle district
- cpntains al sabah family palaces, the customs department, ships port, al souq and its marketplace areas, al safat al mubarakia school, the national library and the literature club

Association/Institution
- Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development http://www.arabfund.org/
- National fund for SMEs www.nationalfund.gov.kw
- Center for Research and Studies on Kuwait http://www.crsk.edu.kw/en/AboutCRSK.aspx



Company
- electronics

• Al-mailam and shaalan co buyer of 2015 hktdc lighting fair

- jewellery

• hassan's jewellery

• featured buyer of 2017 tdc jewellery fair

industry
- history

• before discovery of oil, kuwait economy centred on three basic sources : trade, ship building and pearl diving in arabian gulf

- ship building

• kuwaitis developed ships which enabled them to easily sail and trade in the arabian gulf and the indian ocean.  

- trade

• They transported dates, horses and other goods from basra to india, to southern arabia, or to eastern africa and returned carrying foodstuffs, textiles, wood and other constructive materials to kuwait.  Some of these materials were consumed in kuwait, while the excess was traded in the towns and the semidesert of the arabian peninsula
• kuwait had been a vital commercial mediator between the indian ocean and the eastern coasts of mediterranean via land caravan.  The oldest reference was mentioned by british physician edward ives in his book when he journeyed from kuwait to aleppo with one of the caravans which comprised 5000 camels, guarded by 1000 men.

- pearl diving

• used to take place when maritime activities halted due to summer winds. Most people, old and young and even bedouins participated in this activity to the extent that kuwait city was evacuated from most of its male inhabitants during summer

al fereij means the suburb, and it is used to denote old kuwaiti suburbs.  The origin of the word is fareeq, coming from a period when kuwait was divided into four main areas, each with several fereij.  The larger fereij, or suburbs, were qibla, murqaq, souk salhia, al hasawi, al mutran, al bloush, al rashaida and al awazem

kuwait walls
- [kuwaiti ministry of information] wall construction dated to approximately 1760 ad, during the period when the rule of bani khaled began to weakn due to increased competition for governance with the tribal sheikhs.  Four walls (some say five) built throughout its history:

• 1st wall built during the period of sheikh abudullah bin sabah, the second governor of kuwait, after kuwait had won the al riqa battle in 1764 ad (battle was between kuwaiti people and the bani kaab). Wall was built around the city in 1765 ad after the war to protect people's lives and money.  There are no dirawaza or ghool, but small gates on each side of access. The wall was built in the shape of a half circle and it had four small gates (al khalifa gate, al souq gate, al fadagh date, soud gate) and five doors/gates called dirwaza (al abdul razaq; al fadaghat; imderis; ibn butty; al bader)
• second wall built in 1814 ad.  A part of this wall was repaired from damages by order of sheikh jabel al awwal bin abdullah al sabah, 3rd amir of kuwait, in 1845 ad.  When bandar al saadoon (sheikh of al muntafiq tribe, the most popular tribe in iraq) decided to invade kuwait.  Bandar al saadoon order the invastion when he realised that a part of the wall had been damaged, and chose to attack.  The kuwaiti people stood together and repaired the wall before the invasion struck.
• third wall - sheikh al mubarak decided after the battle of hamdh (1919 ad) in southern kuwait, to have an "invisible" wall surrounding kuwait to keep away the marauding attacks and to protect it from its enemies.  On the first of ramadan, 1338ah/1920ad, kuwaits young and old shared the building of the wall.  Wall was built from pure mud, with its towers constructed from mud and gypsum. It had 5 gates (dirwazat al jahra; dirwazat naif; dirwazat al breissi; bneid al qar, known as dasman gate; al maqssaab gate(this gate was opened in the mid thirties and was removed on 4feb1957))

islam
- al-qibla mosques

• bin bahar mosque

• est by sheikh ibrahim abdullah al-bahar in 1137 ah (1899 ad) and was located south of the customs department in ibn ibrahim fereij, which is how its name was derived.  It was the first mosque built in kuwait city before it was formaly established, and is considered on of the first mosques to be demolished

• abdul galell mosque

• est by judge ahmed bin abdullah bin abdul galell in 1193ah (1799 ad), demolished and rebuilt in al faiha under its original name by the ministry of awqaf in 1967

• bin salama mosqe

• est by al salama in 1225ah (1810ad), later demolished and rebuilt in al-rumaithiya in 1968.

• al imdieres mosque

• est by abdullah bin muhammad al-imdieres in 1225ah (1810ad)

history
- kuwait as a country

• [kuwaiti ministry of information] sheikh mubarak al sabah, 7th governor of kuwait, had stated in one of his letters that kuwait was established in 1022 AH or 1613 AD.  Others stated that it was established in 1100 AH or 1688 AD. 

- https://www.xing.com/communities/posts/kuwaits-history-snapshot-1003249207 AD 623: The Arab defeated the Persians at the battle of Zat Al-Salassel in Kazima area. 
-  The Sheikhdom of Kuwait (مشيخة الكويت Mshīkha al-Kuwayt) was a sheikhdom which gained independence from the Khalidi Emirate of Al Hasa under Sabah I bin Jaber in the year 1752. The Sheikhdom became a British protectorate between 1899 and 1961 after the Anglo-Kuwaiti agreement of 1899 was signed between Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah and the British government in India due to severe threats to Kuwait's independence from the Ottoman Empire.Kuwait was founded in 1613 AD as a fishing village known as Grane (Kureyn). The region soon came under the rule of the Bani Khalid in 1670 after the expulsion of the Ottomans from Eastern Arabia (Lahsa Eyalet) by Barrack bin Ghurayr, Emir of the Bani Khalid, who successfully besieged the Ottoman governor Umar Pasha who surrendered and gave up his rule as the fourth Ottoman governor of al-Hasa. The families of the Bani Utbah finally arrived in Kuwait in 1713 AD and settled after receiving permission from the Emir of al-Hasa Sa'dun bin Muhammad who ruled from 1691–1722 AD. The Utubs didn't immediately settle in Kuwait however, they roamed for half a century before finally settling. They first left the region of Najd in central Arabia and settled themselves in what is now Qatar, after a quarrel between them and some of the inhabitants of the region they departed and settled near Umm Qasr living as brigands, raiding passing caravans and levying taxes over the shipping of the Shatt al-Arab.^[4] Due to these practices, they were driven out of the area by the Ottoman Mutasallim of Basra and later lived in Sabiyya an area bordering the north of Kuwait Bay, until finally requesting permission from the Bani Khalid to settle in Kuwait which was then under the rule of the Emir of al-Hasa who himself was of the Bani Khalid.
In 1718, the head of each family in the town of Kuwait gathered and chose Sabah I bin Jaber as the Sheikh of Kuwait becoming a governor of sorts underneath the Emir of Al Hasa. During this time as well, the power in governance was split between the Al Sabah, Al Khalifa, and Al Jalahma families in which the Al Sabah will have control over the reins of power whereas the Al Khalifa were in charge of trade and the flow of money, and the Jalahma would be in charge over work in the sea.
In 1752, Kuwait became independent after an agreement between the Sheikh of Kuwait and the Emir of Al Hasa in which Al Hasa recognised Sabah I bin Jaber's independent rule over Kuwait and in exchange Kuwait would not ally itself or support the enemies of Al Hasa or interfere in the internal affairs of Al Hasa in any way.

• sheikh abdullah I 1762-1812
• Sheikh Jaber bin Abdullah (Arabic: جابر بن عبد الله‎; Jaber I or Jaber Al-Aish; 1770 – 1859) was the third ruler of Kuwait, governing from 1814 to 1859. He was the eldest son of Abdullah bin Sabah who he succeeded upon Sheikh Abdullah's death. The British had requested that Bin Abdullah allow them to turn Kuwait into a protectorate, he refused. Nicknamed Jaber Al-Aish, Bin Abdullah was said to have generously given rice and bread to the poor.なお1824年には第二次サウード王国が再興されるが往年の脅威とはほど遠い存在であった。さらに1819年にはイギリスから奪った艦船ミネルヴァを率いたオマーン海岸諸部族艦隊をイギリス東インド会社のボンベイ艦隊が撃破し、イギリスとオマーン海岸諸部族が1820年には休戦条約を結び、続いて1853年には恒久平和条約が結ばれたことにより、ようやくクウェートは平和を迎え、騒乱で衰退した造船や貿易が再開される。
• sheikh sabah II 1859 -1866
• sheikh abdullah II 1866-1892
• sheikh mohammad I 1892-1896
• sheikh mubarak al-sabah 1896-1915
• sheikh jaber II 1915-1917
• sheikh salem al mubarak 1917-1921
• sheikh ahmad al jaber al sabah 1921-1950
• sheikh abdullah al salem al sabah 1950-1965
• sheikh sabah al salem al sabah 1965-1977
• sheikh jaber al ahmad al sabah 1978-

• crown prince sheikh saad al abdullah al salem al sabah

- reference materials

• travellers account

• murtada bin ulwan (AH1121-1709AD) first used the name kuwait 

uk
-  historical ties

•  <to obtain more info> kuwait's first agreement with britain signed on 23apr1841 by sabah bin jaber on behalf of his father
• The Sheikhdom of Kuwait became a British protectorate in 1899 (until 1961) after the Anglo-Kuwaiti Agreement of 1899 was signed between Sheikh Mubarak Al Sabah and the British government in India due to severe threats to Kuwait's independence from the Ottoman Empire.

•  The Anglo-Kuwaiti Agreement of 1899 was a secret treaty signed between the British Empire and the Sheikhdom of Kuwait on 23 January 1899. Under its provisions Britain pledged to protect the territorial integrity of Kuwait in return for restricting the access of foreign powers to the Sheikhdom and regulating its internal affairs.

- Tobacco Dock is a Grade I listed warehouse in the Docklands area of the East End of London, United Kingdom. It was constructed in approximately 1811 and served primarily as a store for imported tobacco. It is a brick building with many brick vaults and some fine ironwork. It was adjacent to a particular set of docks named London Docks, which have now mostly been filled in. Tobacco Dock is owned by Messila House, a Kuwaiti investment company. At its north entrance stands a 7 ft tall bronze sculpture of a boy standing in front of a tiger. In the late 1800s, wild animal trader Charles Jamrach owned the world's largest exotic pet store, located on Ratcliffe Highway, near to Tobacco Dock. The statue commemorates an incident where a Bengal tiger escaped from Jamrach's shop into the street and picked up and carried off a small boy, who had approached and tried to pet the animal having never seen such a big cat before. The boy escaped unhurt after Jamrach gave chase and prised open the animal's jaw with his bare hands.

saudi arabia
- The Kuwait–Najd War erupted in the aftermath of World War I. The war occurred because Ibn Saud wanted to annex Kuwait. The sharpened conflict between Kuwait and Najd led to the death of hundreds of Kuwaitis. The war resulted in sporadic border clashes throughout 1919–1920.
Following the Kuwait–Najd War, Ibn Saud imposed a trade blockade against Kuwait for 14 years from 1923 until 1937. The goal of the Saudi economic and military attacks on Kuwait was to annex as much of Kuwait's territory as possible.^[3] At the Uqair conference in 1922, the boundaries of Kuwait and Najd were set.^[3] Kuwait had no representative at the Uqair conference.^[3] Ibn Saud persuaded Sir Percy Cox to give him two-thirds of Kuwait's territory.^[3] More than half of Kuwait was lost due to Uqair. After the Uqair conference, Kuwait was still subjected to a Saudi economic blockade and intermittent Saudi raiding.

iran
- http://www.reuters.com/article/us-kuwait-iran-idUSKBN1A510U?il=0 Kuwait ordered the expulsion of the Iranian ambassador and 14 other diplomats for alleged links to a "spy and terror" cell, Iranian and Kuwaiti media reported on Thursday, worsening an unusual public dispute between the two countries. Kuwait also told Iran's cultural and military missions to shut down, following a court case that increased tensions between the Gulf Arab state and Tehran.

philippines
- https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/philippine-envoy-to-kuwait-expelled-after-rescue-of-domestic-workers-20180427-p4zbxv.html Tensions between Kuwait and the Philippines have been further inflamed after a mounting dispute over the treatment of Filipino workers in the oil-rich Arab state resulted in the expulsion of the Philippine ambassador this week. The ambassador, Renato Villa, on Wednesday was given one week to leave Kuwait just days after Philippine Embassy staff members attempted a so-called rescue of Filipino domestic workers that they said had been abused by their Kuwaiti employers. The effort, which critics have described as a stunt, was recorded and posted on social media, embarrassing Kuwait.
- 科威特近日有多名菲律賓女傭，疑不堪虐待剝削或性侵而自殺。菲律賓總統杜特爾特發言人上周六宣布，為免悲劇重演，即時暫停向科威特輸出外傭，直至完成調查。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20180122/00180_012.html

• 菲律賓繼暫停向科威特輸出外傭後，再於上周五委派兩間航空公司提供免費航班接載傭工回國。菲律賓政府周日指，逾二千二百人準備好回家。菲律賓外交部統計，在科威特工作的菲律賓人逾廿五萬。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20180213/00180_025.html
• http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2134650/philippine-officials-meet-filipinos-kuwait-amid-labour-row A delegation of Philippine labour officials were in Kuwait City on Sunday to assess the impact of a new ban on Filipinos working in the emirate, a source of much-needed remittances.Among the key demands are that Filipino workers be allowed to keep their mobile phones and passports, which currently can be confiscated by employers. Anna del Mundo, who met the delegation at the Philippine embassy on Saturday, said her recruitment agency had already been hurt by the ban. She said the agency had hired around 100 nurses for a Kuwait hospital but they were now stuck at home because of the ban.
• 菲律賓女傭在科威特遇害案觸發的兩國外交風波升級。菲律賓總統杜特爾特周日宣布，永久禁止國內勞工前往科威特工作，並表明會協助願意歸家的勞工回國，科威特官員暫未回應事件。http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20180430/00180_018.html
• The Philippines on Wednesday lifted its ban on migrant workers heading to jobs in Kuwait, capping a diplomatic row sparked when a murdered Filipina maid was found in her employer's freezer. The news comes days after Kuwait and the Philippines inked a deal to regulate and protect the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos who seek higher-paid employment in the wealthy Gulf state. https://www.afp.com/en/news/826/philippines-lifts-ban-kuwait-bound-workers-doc-15090k2

viet nam
- Kuwait has struck a loan agreement with Vietnam worth four million Kuwaiti dinars (13.6 million U.S. dollars) for financing the Multipurpose Development Project for Ethnic Minorities in Poor Communes in Xin Man District in Vietnam. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-05/07/c_137161968.htm

china
- historical ties

•  習近平透露，1985年他出任廈門市副市長，當時分管基礎設施建設，其中包括廈門機場項目。廈門機場正是利用科威特貸款建設起來的，是中國第一個利用外國政府貸款建設的機場，這對支持中國改革開放和現代化建設具有標誌性意義。 這次是薩巴赫第7次訪華。習近平說，中科是患難見真情的好朋友。1990年海灣戰爭期間，薩巴赫曾兩次成功訪華。中方一直旗幟鮮明支持科方維護國家獨立、主權、領土完整的努力。http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2018/07/10/a05-0710.pdf

- http://pdf.wenweipo.com/2018/07/10/a05-0710.pdf昨日下午，中國國家主席習近平在人民大會堂與來華進行國事訪問的科威特埃米爾薩巴赫舉行會談。兩國元首一致決定建立中科戰略夥伴關係，為新時期中科關係注入新動力、開闢新前景。
- oil

• https://www.chinadailyhk.com/articles/194/178/52/1556525779293.html?newsId=81407 In the southern desert of Kuwait, the Kuwait New Refinery Project, launched with the help of China Petrochemical Corporation or Sinopec, is under construction with an aim to increase oil processing capacity of the Arab country. Sinopec Fifth Construction Company is the NRP's subcontractor. Once put into operation, the project will increase Kuwait's oil processing capacity by 31.5 million tons of crude oil per year. According to the contract, the Chinese company is responsible for installation of six sets of oil-refining equipment for the NRP with contract value of US$519 million.

• http://economists-pick-research.hktdc.com/business-news/article/International-Market-News/Success-of-BRI-Backed-Oil-Refineries-Fuels-China-Kuwait-Co-operation/imn/en/1/1X308LSH/1X0AJ23R.htm

- railway

• 據觀察者網報道：《大 眾日報》11日消息，濟青高鐵引進戰略投 資者簽約活動10日在濟南舉行。本次引進 的戰略投資者，最終確定為中金資本、科 威特投資局和農銀投資等戰略投資者，共 計投資23.86億元（合26.36億港元），股 權佔比7.1568%。這是高鐵混改引入外資 的第一單。http://paper.takungpao.com/resfile/PDF/20191012/PDF/a9_screen.pdf

Hong Kong
- diplomatic representation

• interview with Kuwait cg in hk hkej 11nov14 c3
• people: toufik agra, economic department kwinvest@biznetvigator.com

country info
- ft investing in kuwait supp 11sep18, 10sep19