Friday, 14 June 2013

The (Different) Architecture of Kuwait (Part 1?)

So why blog about the architecture in Kuwait, Mik? Well, I think that a lot of the homes are interesting. They're quite large, so much so that people in Canada might call them mansions. Now, not ALL houses are large, but most are. I'm told that the houses are so large because it's not simply ONE family that lives in the house, but rather several generations of a family all living under one roof. As I think about that concept I'm thankful that this is not the way we live in Canada. I love my family and it's not personal. On the contrary, I love the freedom and independence I have living on my own. As I've been exploring and wandering around Kuwait, I've captured pictures (not magnificent ones by any means-I'm sorry!) of structures here that are...Different from what I'm used to.

 In Kuwait City. This makes me think of elevators going up and down for some reason.
 This building looks like it has a fringe.
 A rather bright blue building that resembles the sky more than the surrounding buildings.
One building still under construction and the round cylindrical one beside it that looks like the top is a button you're supposed to push (I'm thinking of Family Feud). 
 A picture that reminds of one of the ways I see Kuwait: A rich country (represented by the Panasonic building) that is still very young and unaware (the old brown building in the forefront of the shot on the left). Yes, it sounds contradictory, I know...I think you have to know Kuwait to understand what I mean.
 The Irish chef and I passed this apartment building when we were going to Jarir Bookstore and look at that! There's a BOAT on that building! Yeah....Why is there a boat on that building??
 A nautical theme? The glass on the balconies look like water.
 I just can't get over the BOAT attached to this apartment building, ha!

Now maybe these aren't the best representations of Kuwaiti architecture. Both 360 (degree) Mall and the Avenues are beautiful buildings. Also, if you go back to the first few posts I wrote, you'll see the gorgeous buildings in Kuwait City. Canada DEFINITELY has a few eye sores itself: The NEW addition on the ROM is hideous as it completely contrasts with the rest of the building (photo below).

The LEFT part of the building is the original structure and the right metal monstrosity is the new addition. (Photo courtesy of:

So, there you have it. I will continue to collect pictures of buildings/homes/structures/etc. as I go along. By the way, I forgot to include this last photo that I took while at The Kuwait Bookstore. The Irish chef pointed it out to me and we had a good laugh at it:

Are they trying to say something about Japanese women? 

On a somewhat related note, I finished the Irish chef's copy of Paul Auster's novel Invisible and it was quite good, but I have to admit that it left me with more questions than answers and for me that's unsettling. Nonetheless, it was quite an interesting read and I would recommend it. Now I'm debating reading Atwood's The Blind Assassin. The ONLY thing holding me back from taking it on is that it's one loooooong novel, and I'm not ready to take on the challenge. Perhaps reading a few of the first pages will suck me in? We'll see! By the way, I'm homeward bound in less than a month-WOOOOHOOOOO!!! No, no, I'm not excited at all, haha!


  1. I read a book of Auster short stories recently and while they weren't at all what I was expecting, I enjoy them the more and more I remember them. Talk about mind-benders.

    1. Hey Mark,
      I think this might be what makes Auster a really good author. I was told that 'Invisible' wasn't even one of his good ones which I thought was interesting :) We'll have to chat about it over food when I'm home, okay??

  2. I appreciate your work.Beautiful Photos.keep sahring.Architecture Kuwait