Mary Jo's Life Has Finally Begun: Tour and the history of selected sites in downtown Kuwait City

In one on-line source, I found the following description of the Liberation Tower. "The Liberation Tower in Kuwait is the tallest structure situated in Kuwait. It is regarded as the symbol of Kuwaiti liberation and the unique sign of country's renaissance. The construction of the Liberation Tower in Kuwait was started before the Iraqi attack of on Kuwait on 2nd August in 1990. This tower is considered to be one of the tallest telecommunication towers in the world. Previously, it was called The Kuwait Telecommunication Tower." Looking at the number of pictures that I took of the tower, I must be very fascinated with it, and Yes, I am. It definitely dominates the skyline of downtown Kuwait. Here is one of many that I took that day.

Our next stop on the tour was at Naif Palace. Naif Palace was built in 1919 and many of Kuwait’s rulers used it. The palace had the first radio station and the National Security directorate was housed there. Today it is where every Ramadan evening people gather to watch the Iftar cannon, during which a shell is fired announcing the end of the fasting period as the sun sets.

The entrance to Naif Palace

The "formal" Diwaniyah - the place where the men meet, drink tea or coffee and discuss the issues of the world. My understanding is that if a person was to check, almost every piece of legislation passed in Kuwait government has been discussed at length in the diwaniyah's.

And here is another picture of the Liberation Tower of Kuwait. This is taken from the courtyard inside Naif Palace.


This is a picture of the jail cells that were used in Naif Palace. Many of the cells had writing on the walls. I guess this was how the men passed their time while in the cells.