Tour and the history of selected sites in downtown Kuwait City - Part IV

Our tour next visited one of the older mosques in Kuwait.  It is called Al-Mana'ee Historical Mosque.  I didn't climb the tower to the top, but DP did.  This was the first time that I had actually been able to see the inside of a mosque.  This one, being older, was interesting, but I must admit that I am looking forward to going on the tour of the Grand Mosque later this month.

A short drive down Gulf Road saw us exploring three different sites. The court yard of one of the first schools in Kuwait, a house built in the 1930's, the outside of the Museum of Modern Art, and a Marine Museum - which I didn't go into, 

The school, built in 1946, was originally for boys, but eventually became a girls school. Although we couldn't go inside the building, I was able to get a couple of shots of the writing on the peak of the school, and a statue in the outside play area.  The school is now the home of the Modern Art Museum.

A piece of art work in the school yard.

The writing over the door of the Al-Sharqiya School

The Bait Ghaith bin Abdullah bin Yousef house was built in the 1930's. It is located near what is today the Museum of Modern Art and was formerly Al Sharqiyah School for Girls.

Bait Ghaith is a fine example of an old Kuwaiti house and one which represents social, economic and cultural features of Kuwaiti society of the past. The house features an intertwined architectural layout typical of the original urban structures in old Kuwait City, particularly in terms of its empty space, its multifunctional features, and the way it was built. 

Notice the base of the skyscraper behind this building.  Totally a land of the old and the new.

Seeing this building gives you a pretty good idea of how buildings were erected in the 1930's in Kuwait.  I find the jagged rocks on the edges of the walls and doors and the wood "beams" sticking out from the roof area, very intriguing.

Next on the list of things to scope out at this stop was the Modern Art Museum.  This is a museum of modern painting and sculpture by Kuwaiti and Arab artists. Originally opened as a boys’ school in 1935, then a girls’ school in 1938, the National Council for Culture Arts and Letters reopened it as a museum in 2003.  The outside of the building wasn't anything spectacular, but I still managed to find a couple of things of interest to photograph.  It is definitely a stop that I want to make while I am here in Kuwait.

Notice the spelling of the days.

Above and below are two shots of the door knocker on the door for the Modern Art Museum.  Really a unique door knocker.

 

The boats/dhows that were set up outside of the actual Marine Museum were very interesting.  I must admit that after seeing the Big Dhow earlier this fall, these didn't have quite the same attraction for me that they may have previously.  Still worth a look at though.

Please note that if something doesn't sound like it's my words, it's because I have borrowed descriptions that I found on-line while preparing this blog.  Nothing like creating and learning all at the same time.