Kuwait’s third wall

Adiplomat once asked Sheikh Mubarak the Great (1896-1915) why did not he build a wall surrounding Kuwait City, to which Sheikh Mubarak answered, “I am the wall.”

However, following the Battle of Hamdh in May 18 until 24, 1920, Sheikh Salem Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah (1864-1921) decided to surround Kuwait with a huge wall to protect it against attacks. Building of the wall started on May 22, 1920 to become the third wall ever built in Kuwait’s history. The wall was shaped like a hemisphere starting from one point of the seaside to the other end, engulfing Kuwait City.

Building the third wall is absolutely one of the most glorious achievements in Kuwait’s history. The construction process was highly organized and tasks were distributed among its many citizens and officials. Almost all men in Kuwait took part in building the wall, which needed huge amounts of clay and mud to be built.

The most difficult obstacle to building the wall was providing enough water for construction and for the builders’ drinking water, especially since the construction process took place during the very hot arid summer. Thus, all work was done during the night to avoid the heat throughout the three-month building duration.

Once finished, the wall was five kilometers long, 5+ meters high and less than two meters wide. It had four gates, with a fifth one added later. Those gates (that still exist today as a reminder of the last and third wall) were designed as fortified forts. The wall also had observation towers separated by a distance of 300 meters; it also had a toothed ridge on top where shooters could hide and shoot from special hatches in case of attacks.

Due to rural expansion in the post-oil production era and the oil boom in Kuwait, this third and last wall of Kuwait was pulled down in February 1957. Building this wall was one of the most glorious achievements in Kuwait’s history and the gates left behind are the best reminder and proof of that till this very day. — Translated by Kuwait Times