The Kuwait Red Fort ( ar, القصر الأحمر, al-Qaṣr al-ʾAḥmar), or ''Red Palace'', is a historic palace and museum that lies about 32 kilometres west of
Kuwait City
Kuwait City ( ar, مدينة الكويت) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economical centre of the emirate, ...
in
Al-Jahra
Al Jahra ( ar, الجهراء) is a town and city located west of the centre of Kuwait City in Kuwait. Al Jahra is the capital of the Al Jahra Governorate of Kuwait as well as the surrounding Al Jahra District which is agriculturally based. Encyc ...
.
The fort was the location of the
Battle of Jahra in 1920.
Official Documented Biography & Accomplishments of Sheikh Abdullah Jaber Al-Abdullah II Al-Sabah (b.1898-d.1996)( featured at "U.N.E.S.C.O (United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization) ceremony award"
History
The building of the fort started one year after the accession of Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah
Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah (1837 – 28 November 1915) ( ar, الشيخ مبارك بن صباح الصباح) "the Great" ( ar, مبارك الكبير) was the seventh ruler of the Sheikhdom of Kuwait from 18 May 1896 until his death on 18 Novemb ...
as seventh ruler of Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...
in 1897. Its primary purpose was the defense of agriculture in Al-Jahra.
Structure
The four towers are built with bricks made from mud mixed with local desert shrubs. The towers were designed to give infantrymen
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marin ...
a view and line of fire in all directions. The walls around the fort house firing holes for infantrymen and sharpshooters. The fort is almost square, surrounded by a wall about 15 feet high and 2 feet thick, and houses thirty-three rooms and six courtyards. The fort is around 60,720 square feet. The eastern and western walls are 289 and 298 feet long respectively. The northern and southern walls are 211 and 203 feet long respectively.
Well
It has a well in the center, but its water is salty and not drinkable. During the battle of Jahra, well water was used to treat the wounded and was drunk mixed with date palm
''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as date or date palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle Eas ...
to sweeten the taste.
See also
* Architecture of Kuwait Kuwaiti architecture is a style of architecture unique to Kuwait, a country founded in the early 18th century.
Before the discovery of oil, Kuwait has an economy reliant on maritime trade, shipbuilding, caravan trade and the pearl industry. The ec ...
* List of museums in Kuwait
References
{{Kuwait City
Forts in Kuwait
History of Kuwait
Museums in Kuwait