City gates once lined Al Soor St – one that remains is Al Jahra Gate, at the centre of where Al Soor St meets the First Ring Road. Despite the gate's ancient appearance, the wall and gates were only constructed around 1920. The wall was demolished in 1957. Find the gate on a roundabout opposite the Sheraton Kuwait hotel.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Tareq Rajab Museum
5.87 MILES
Housed in the basement of a large villa, this exquisite ethnographic museum should not be missed. There are inlaid musical instruments suspended in glass…
Souq Mubarakiya
1.05 MILES
Once the centre of trade before the nation found oil, Kuwait City's old souq has retained its sprawling, bustling glory. The historical centre of the…
Grand Mosque
1.43 MILES
The largest of the city’s 800 mosques, opened in 1986, completely survived the Iraqi invasion. It cost KD14 million (US$46 million) to build, with…
Scientific Center
7.64 MILES
One of the largest aquariums in the Middle East is housed in this sail-shaped building. The giant spider crabs (3.8m leg to leg), fluorescent jellyfish…
Mirror House
2.9 MILES
For a brilliantly bizarre art-in-action experience, visit this residential house covered with mirror mosaics. It's the creation of gloriously eccentric…
Dar Al Athar Al Islamiyya
0.49 MILES
This exceptional cultural centre has stunning galleries that contain some of the highlights of the world-class Al Sabah Collection, part of which was in…
Kuwait Towers
3.1 MILES
The Kuwait Towers, with their distinctive blue-green ‘sequins’, are the instantly recognisable symbols of the nation. Designed by a Swedish architectural…
Al Qurain Martyrs’ Museum
13.01 MILES
In the residential suburb of Qurain, this excellent small museum is a sobering memorial to a cell of young Kuwaitis who tried to resist Iraqi arrest in…
Nearby Kuwait City attractions
1. Al Maqsab Gate
0.37 MILES
This refurbished, simple city gate once used to enter Kuwait's walled city is around a century old. Although the wall has come down, similar gates all…
2. Dar Al Athar Al Islamiyya
0.49 MILES
This exceptional cultural centre has stunning galleries that contain some of the highlights of the world-class Al Sabah Collection, part of which was in…
3. Al Bahhar Entertainment Historical Village
0.57 MILES
With traditional wind-tower architecture, this beachside area of craft workshops and souvenir shops is a nice place to stroll in the evening. There are…
4. Al Shamiya Gate
0.66 MILES
When Kuwait City was protected by a wall, gates such as this one allowed folks to enter and exit while the wall protected the city from attack. Around a…
5. National Assembly Building
0.67 MILES
The official seat of Kuwait's parliament with its distinctive canopy – designed to evoke the image of Bedouin tents – was the brainchild by Jørn Utzon,…
6. Liberation Tower
0.86 MILES
Not to be confused with the distinctive Kuwait Towers, the striking Liberation Tower, with its UFO-like saucer, is the second-tallest tower in Kuwait. At…
7. Heritage Museum
0.88 MILES
Forming part of the National Museum complex, this series of dark corridors is built like pre-oil Kuwaiti streets, with displays full of antiques, plus…
8. Kuwait National Museum
0.89 MILES
It was the pride of Kuwait and contained one of the most important collections of Islamic art in the world until the 1990 Iraqi invasion. Sadly, the…