The guard at the side entrance to the Grand Mosque waves me away pointing around the corner he says “security, security”. In the aftermath of Iraq I am very accustomed to this and doff my pack as the next guard leads me forward. I am ushered into clean cafe style area with water bottles onto tables and an urn of tea. No Xray machine in sight. A pretty young lady tells me that the next tour is 25 minutes away. I agree to attend but suggest I take some pictures and come back. She looks most concerned, tells me that the water and tea are free, as is the tour, and scurries off to emerge with my guide 2 minutes later. I rehydrate and proceed in. The mosque was completed in 1986 and is breathtakingly beautiful. Able to accommodate 10,000 worshippers my eyes are immediately drawn to the ceiling, beneath the massive Italian crystal chandeliers there are sinuous waves of royal blue with golden trim. The whole effect is evocative of the sea and sand. As I sit in the empty cafe sipping tea the mellifluous chant of the muezzin bathes me in peaceful sound and i am left wondering about the dichotomy of the peaceful aspects of this religion pitted against the acts of aggression perpetrated in the name of Islam.
My guide here is Syrian and chatting with him confirms that this is a similar setup to UAE where the population here is 95% expat workers and 5% actual wealthy Kuwaitis who own all assets. Later, the Indian taxi driver predicatbly wants to talk cricket with me. I get suspicious when he says to me, you are rich and deny it. I am made to feel insensitive when he admonishes me with the observation that most Indians cannot afford to travel and he himself has never been to Delhi or Bombay.
Starting my walking tour along the coast, the 37 degree heat is brutal. It strikes me that I am the only pedestrian for miles around which is probably a reflection on my sanity. Nonetheless the walk is beautiful past dhows, fish market and sandy beaches. The people are surprisingly friendly. As I am walking along a driver stopped at a traffic light winds down the window and asks “Kuwait good?” When I answer “yes” he beams from ear to ear and gives me a big thumbs up.
Enjoying my DIY day tour in Kuwait I muse upon the future of this and similar Arab states. While Dubai has a significant tourist industry to fall back on this economy is built solely on oil wealth. With net zero carbon emissions only some 10 -15 years off what will happen to this city, this country? Presumably the Kuwaitis themselves have amassed obscene wealth and they will continue to prosper but eventually the rest of the economy and infrastructure will take a hit. Fascinating times ahead!
