CugelVance

Germany - 16-Jun-24 -

I visited this site in late february 2023.The Sheikh Abdullah Al Jaber Palace (Diwan Khaz'aal) was incredibly difficult to find....why???

Well,first of all it is fenced off,but that is not the real reason why it is so inaccessible.

First things first. the palace,or better its ruins,are clearly visible from the viewing platform of one of the water towers (3 towers near the ocean and in front of the Kuwait Aqua Park) near the Dasman Palace. In the water tower in which the viewing platform is located, there is also a restaurant underneath. I saw a notice that there would be a buffet the next day for the equivalent of €35. I immediately reserved a table for myself. The water towers are also a tentative world heritage site. What could be nicer than dining in a perhaps future world heritage site?

From the ground the perspective is totally different. The day before I had wandered around helplessly without finding the palace. Google maps is too imprecise and inaccurate. I had even asked a group of young locals in tennis clothes (the indians and other foreign workers are of no help as they are not familiar with the history of Kuwait).
, who had just been getting out of some luxury cars if they knew where the palace was. They had never heard of this palace. They had tried to help me by researching on the internet where the palace was . They had been quite surprised when they had found out that this palace was in that same area. Nonetheless, they had not been of much help. Then I had gone to a luxury apartment complex with some chatting guards at the guardhouse. I had gone through and
no one noticed me. But damn, as I  had kept walking two gunmen had ran towards me screaming. It turned out that this is the barracks area of ​​the Kuwaiti army. I  had apologized and explained the situation. I had been  surrounded by about 10 soldiers and officers who offered me a coffee and very kindly explained to me that there was no such palace in the neighborhood.
It's all pretty absurd since the palace is about a stone's throw away from the barracks entrance and about a few minutes from the dasman tennis court.

Anyway! While dining more than two hours in the restaurant inside the water tower the following day I had some chats with the neighboring tables(all local kuwaiti,no foreigners,no tourists). No one had ever heard of that palace. Quite frustrating to look for a tentative world unesco heritage site unknown even to the locals there. Finally I found someone who knew this palace: an elderly and educated Kuwaiti couple.
A load fell off my heart...a local who had already visited this palace and was familiar with its history. He pointed out the palace to me and explained me how to visit it.First I went to the tennis court in the street 11,and then I turned onto street 19 and walked along it until I almost reached Jasmin Mohamed al Bahar street. Still on street 19, I entered a narrow path that runs between the building of a religious foundation and a run-down office building. It led right to the ruins of the palace. Everything seemed deserted until I heard the voice of an old egyptian guard behind me. He barely spoke english, but we understood each other with hands and gestures. I could take photos there as long as I wanted.
The ruins are completely inconspicuous...5-10 minutes are enough there. Given all the difficulties in reaching the same palace, I will probably never forget this tentative whs in my life. A true adventure to reach it.
As for the palace:this palace in Kuwait City was built by Sheikh Khaz’al of Muhammarah, a friend of Sheikh Mubarak, in 1916. After his death, his widow continued to live in the building. 

From 1957 to 1976, the palace served as the Kuwait National Museum.After the palace was no longer the National Museum, it began to deteriorate.

I found this piece of info in the internet: """"

The palace dates from 1916 and was built from clay. It was one of the last Persian-style archaeological buildings in Kuwait. Since the palace was a listed building in Kuwait, it was protected and was a top priority for preservation. In heritage conservation projects, it is of utmost importance to restore the building to its original condition, using as much of the original building material as possible. Kuwait's antiquities law states that it is forbidden to alter, alter or falsify immovable monuments. By pouring concrete into the palace, it will no longer be restored correctly and will therefore lose its status as a cultural heritage site.
To simplify what this all means: imagine completely demolishing the palace and then rebuilding it with modern materials. Is it still a cultural heritage? No, because it is now a new building and not an old building that has been saved and restored. That's basically what happened in this case to some extent. The building was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List in 2015. However, due to the restoration process not being carried out properly, it is now no longer eligible to be listed and therefore does not have the protection associated with this status.

The Kuwait Towers, on the other hand, which are currently undergoing a restoration process (the blue panes are being restored or replaced), adhere to the strict restoration rules."""""

I for my part see no OUV at all.The justification of Outstanding Universal Value is that 
the Palace of Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jabir is enshrined in historical and cultural significance linking Kuwait with its surrounding region and beyond.A very weak justification IMO. Whats more the ruins of the old palace are a totally underwhelming experience for any visitor!

After my visit to the palace, I walked to the Al Hamra Business Tower, the tallest building in Kuwait. I simply asked the reception if I could visit the building. They gave me a visitor's pass and kept my passport. I was only allowed on one floor of the high-rise building, but an Indian technician assumed that I was a businessman and unlocked almost the top floor for me with his ID. Another adventure began.. :)

Els Slots

The Netherlands - 05-Apr-18 -

Close to the Kuwait Towers lies the Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jabir Palace. It is displayed on maps as the Diwan Khazaal, named after the Khazaal family to which this historic house and guest house belonged in the early 20th century. Later on it was converted by Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jabir Al- Sabah (hence the full name) to his residence and it became the first national museum of Kuwait. The two-storey building, partly built of coral stone, is said to have been the most magnificent building of Kuwait City in its time.

The building was heavily bombed by the Iraqis during the Gulf War and has still not been restored. That did not stop the Kuwaiti authorities to promote it to the Tentative List in 2015. I walked past it on my way from the hotel, and found it totally fenced off and hidden behind a cardboard wall. Fortunately it can be seen very well from the viewing platform of the Kuwait Towers: it’s the ruin with the four corner towers.

This is only one of the ruins that is still visible in Kuwait City: it amazed me that several buildings in the city center have been left in such a bad state.