The home of Kuwait's main archaeological site, Failaka is definitely worth a visit. However, bear in mind that the Iraqis made Failaka into a heavily fortified base and filled the area with mines and, although these have been cleared, caution should still be taken. There are plans to turn the island into a luxurious holiday resort for tourists.

Failaka's history goes back to the Bronze Age Dilmun civilisation, which was centred in Bahrain. The Greeks arrived in the 4th century BC in the form of a garrison sent by Nearchus, one of Alexander the Great's admirals.

A small settlement existed on the island prior to this, but it was as the Greek town of Ikaros that the settlement became a real city. The Greeks lived on Failaka for two centuries. The centrepiece of the island is its temple.