On Christmas and other non-muslim celebrations
by baronedivandastad
Officially, Islam prohibits all celebrations except for those that are tied to the Qu'ran and to religion in general.
So you'll have Eid Al-Fetr, marking the end of the Ramadan, and Eid Aladha, marking the end of Hajj, in honour of Ibrahim's sacrifice. In places like Saudi Arabia, these are the only officially allowed holidays.
However, in Kuwait there is a widely accepted tolerance for non-Muslims, so you'll see Christmas decorations and people celebrate Easter. Even less profound celebrations like Valentine Day get their importance in Kuwait, as can be seen from the pic I took in a shopping mall on February 13.
We Seek God's Assistance
by angiebabe
Kuwaiti money - the Dinar - I was impressed by the 'We Seek God's Assistance' that is printed on all the denominations of the notes used in the Kuwait currency.
The prices to buy stuff was quite expensive such as accommodation and things for sale in the souks seemed to be no cheaper than buying them back in London - the exchange rate is about 50p to 1 Dinar - such as entry to the Kuwait Towers was £2, getting a 1 gb memory card onto CD (2 CDs) was with haggling £6 from £8 whereas in London I only pay £4. Shisha tobacco was expensive ie the same price as London or maybe more - the same brand of apple flavoured tobacco that Id bought in Tunisia for 50p a box which I guess would be 2 or 3 boxes in a tin - was about £5 for a tin!
Taxis were a good deal - I guess because fuel is so much cheaper - or just plain cheap! the locals were paying only about £4 to fill their tanks!
Mesjid Shirin
by mikey_e
Much like the wealthy patrons of churches and shrines in Mediaeval and Renaissance Europe, wealthy Kuwaitis also show a propensity to endow religious institutions with funds to construct buildings. Mesjid Shirin is one such example (Mesjid is Arabic for mosque and Shirin is both a Persian woman's name and the Persian word for sweet). It was funded by Yousef Behbehani, a member of one of Kuwait's wealthiest families of Iranian extraction. The fact that the family is originally Iranian may mean that this is a Shiite mosque, but I'm not sure. This is a fairly simple affair, except for the beautiful Persian-style blue dome that adorns the top of the structure. I was also quite impressed by the intricately carved stone screens, a feature that is fairly common in Arab architecture (but I'm not sure about their presence in Persian architecture). In all, this is a fairly new mosque (the calligraphy says that it was founded in 2001) and is located not off of Shuhada Street, east of the Courtyard.
Chili's
by jbabinski78 about Chili's
There seems to be a good amount of American Franchise Restaurants in Kuwait. I decided to go to Chili's this day since it was conviently located in the mall. For appetizers, I started out with the bottomless chips and salsa. For the main meal, I ordered the chicken and ribbs platter with mashed potatos and apples with and a cherry coke. They didn't really have cherry coke, but they did have the cherry syrup. The chicken was great, but I wish the ribs were pork. Too bad they don't serve pork in Kuwait, but I still have access to pork when I need it through work.
I guess if you've been to one Chili's then you've been to them all. I used to eat here all the time when I was in college after hockey games. Prices were a lil higher than the USA Chili's but then again I eat more when I go out to eat. Overall...I'll give this a YUM! Chicken
Majlis Al-Ummah
by mikey_e
Kuwait is one of the few countries in the Middle East with a functioning, democratically elected Parliament. Yes, many people will rant on about Kuwait being an unelected monarchy, but unlike many of the other states in the region, the country does have a body in which elected representatives (both men and women) debate the most pressing issues facing the country and its government. Political parties are not permitted, but there are general groupings of Parliamentarians who bind together based on common ideals (Liberals, Shia Islamists, Sunni Islamists, Conservatives, etc.). The National Assembly (Majlis al-Ummah), which is effectively the Parliament, is a pretty impressive building that towers over the south-western part of Arab Gulf Road. Given the amount of construction occurring right next to it, I would imagine that a new Parliament, or at least new offices, will go up soon. The sweeping entrance makes the building look like a giant tidal wave that is rushing out to sea - I'm not sure if this is the intended significance. If it is, then the meaning is puzzling in and of itself. The building was designed by a Danish architect, Jorn Utzon.
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Entrance to the mosque
Kuwaiti Towers the symbol of Kuwait
Detail of the mural
More cats under cars
