Kuwait National Museum

Kuwait National Museum was established in 1983, two days before the Kuwait National Holiday. At the initiative of Sheikh Al-Jaber al-Sabah, it was decided to open a center of Islamic culture that would help citizens of the state to get acquainted with the history of artistic and applied arts of their people, and tourists would inspire respect for the work of ancient masters and bring them closer to understanding the worldview of Muslims.

Several thousand exhibits of their collection by Sheikh Al-Jaber al-Sabah were given temporarily to the government under the guarantee of the Ministry of Information and were exhibited in the museum. Sheikh Al-Jaber al-Sabah’s collection includes books, manuscripts, ceramics, glass, metal, gemstones and gem-adorned objects, architectural ornaments, textiles and carpets, coins and instruments for research. The collected exhibits represent the complete chronological and geographical distribution of the Islamic world.

During the events of the Iraqi invasion in 1990, the Kuwait National Museum was completely robbed by the Iraqi army. Among the stolen items were exhibits of the collection of Sheikh Al-Jaber al-Sabah, as well as the entire scientific library. The only things left in the museum were a pair of wooden Moroccan doors carved in the fourteenth century. Most of the sites have been restored, but many have been damaged - some destroyed during repairs and more than 50 sites are considered missing. Today, the museum is actively restored, expands and replenishes the expositions, conducts educational excursions and numerous cultural and entertainment events. Visitors will be able to see the exhibits of the prehistoric era, the Sumerian-Babylonian period, early Islam, the Middle East, as well as a beautiful collection of jewelry during the Mughal reign.