Kuwait Beauty
“If you but have the eyes to see . . .”
There is great beauty in Kuwait. Here is the spire of a mosque I found in Hawalli when I got lost. (Yes, people look at me like I am out of my mind when I stop and take photos of these things they see everyday.)
Here is detail from the spire:
Here is an old-fashioned meshrabiyya window at the home standing over the Tarek Rajab Museum. Who can believe that such a museum treasure is open to the public for free, thanks to the graciousness of a private family, who sees the beauty in the Gulf Heritage, collects and preserves it.
Here is the globe near the entrance to Kuwait University, reminding us always that we are all connected in this world:
Dusk is my favorite time in Kuwait – the glare of the sun softens, and the colors glow:
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Here There and Everywhere 
dusk is definately my favourite time of day here.
no other sky goes thru as many colours.
if get a chance, look west at around 6-630 you’ll see some really nice pinks and purples in the sky.
Where’s that Tarek Rajab Museum?! I havent heard of it before and I have been living here most of my life :S
Skunk, I rarely see te pinks/ purples. . . it seems to go from a pinkish-orangey-coral to . . .deep purple! Still, my favorite time, too.
Kinano – the museum is near the southernmost street in Jabriya. I usually exit 30 at fifth ring going toward Jahra, but never really get on 5th ring, stay right and turn into Jabriya. At the first street, turn right. Drive to the Dar al Cid on the right (it is where art exhibits are held) and go past, and as soon as you are past, take the first left. At the end of that street, you will have to turn right. On your right is the entrance to the Tarek Rajab Museum. It is a treasure.
It used to have a fabulous arabic calligraphy section, but now they have opened a separate caligraphy museum just a block away, nearer to the New English School.
And if you ever get a chance, read Jehan Rejab’s book, Invasion of Kuwait.
Mosque spire, window and dusk are absolutely breathtaking. Am I really seeing Zodiac signs on the globe holder?? (hmmmm – there must be some technical name for that curved peice that holds a globe from pole to pole….)
kinano, just to make xpatrs directions a lil easier, its behind the new english school in kuwait, but not behind behind, its like two streets behind if youre going form the school to hadi clinic.
inltxpatr & sknkwrkz: Thanks a lot for the direction 🙂
Can you believe that it’s actually right next to my old school?! I spent years just going past it and never really noticed it… I will make sure I pay them a visit. I checked out their website and it is just my type of place to visit 🙂
Thanks again!
Sparkle, yes, you are right. I didn’t notice it before, but they are zodiak signs. Go figure.
Thanks for the help, Skunk!
Kinan, once you go there, you go again and again. We take all our houseguests. It is a treasure. How funny, you know the neighborhood so well and didn’t know it was there, but it is discreet.
This post actually inspired me to grab my camera and go out and open my eyes to notice the beauty around me. It’s been a long time since I last threw my camera over my shoulders 😦
Thanks for the push.
Oh, Magical, I can hardly wait to see what you can find. I have two cameras, a bigger one with a huge zoom and a smaller one, still has a good zoom but not so huge. I carry the smaller one in my purse all the time. You just never know when there will be that photo you don’t want to miss.
Show us what YOU see! I’ll pick you up early Friday morning and we’ll go on a photo safari together!
Love the pics! 🙂
Would you believe that I actually did grab the camera!! I went to shuweikh beach; took a couple of pix and then ran out of batteries 😦
For my new resolution I made a pack with myself that I would always have my camera in my bag; and I did, till it broke. So a got myself a Lumix FZ-50. Don’t know how to use it yet, though 😦
You serious about the photo safari? I’m all for it.
Magical – just one more thing we share – the Lumix! My first is an FZ10 – I am guessing it is the predecessor of your FZ50. It has a HUGE zoom capacity in a deceptively small body. My second is a TZ1, still has a powerful zoom but not so powerful, but also a lot smaller.
I know it is tiresome, but read your manual. These cameras are amazing. Mine gets shots under very low light conditions. While my husband is lugging around tripods and huge zoom attatchments for his (admittedly lovely) Nikon, I just tuck mine in my pocket or daypack! I love it!
I was at the Tariq Rajab museum today. The guards and a worker were really nice to me. I walked there from my Dad’s house in al Jabriya but still it took me about half an hour what with getting lost. I was ready to pass out when I got there from the heat. I asked for water and they gave me water and tea and a biscuit (cookie). It is amazing to me that nobody in the neighborhood knows about this museum or where it is. I asked as I was walking. The only person who knew was a foreign resident from Europe. But all the Kuwaitis sure know where the shopping malls are. A bunch of pervert Kuwaitis slowed their cars or tried to pull over or even offered me rides. And I even had my head covered with a big black veil. What pigs. I hear they take you to the desert and gang rape you if you are stupid enough to take a ride. Or a group of them will force you in a vehicle and then do the same thing. My Dad told me a terrible story about a Pakistani teenager and his American teenage friend whose fathers worked with my Dad. Their car was surrounded on the way home one evening by a bunch of Kuwaiti cars. They were taken to the desert and sodomized all night. The American boy got the worst of it. (My Dad says Westerners are considered ‘prettier’.) Then as morning came they left them out there. The boys walked to the highway. The Pakistani boy hung himself. The boys family returned to Pakistan. My Dad doesn’t know what happened to the American boy as his Dad worked in a different division. Of course, nothing will ever happen to the Kuwaitis who did it. You know…wasta.
Naouel – sometimes, if there is a group of guys, they force you into the car, whether you want to go or not. I am SO glad you got there safely, and that you were treated with such kindness.
but you didn’t say how you like the museum! It is such a treasure!