ديب ويب الكويت
Fanny Lococo
Kuwait,[a] officially the State of Kuwait,[b] is a country in West Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south.[14] With a coastline of approximately 500 km (311 mi), Kuwait also shares a maritime border with Iran.[15] Most of the country's population reside in the urban agglomeration of Kuwait City, the capital and largest city.[16] As of 2023[update], Kuwait has a population of 4.82 million, of which 1.53 million are Kuwaiti citizens while the remaining 3.29 million are foreign nationals from over 100 countries.[17]
Historically, most of present-day Kuwait was part of ancient Mesopotamia.[18][19][20] Before the discovery of oil reserves in 1938, the country was a regional trade port;[21][22] from 1946 to 1982, the country underwent large-scale modernization, largely based on income from oil production. In the 1980s, Kuwait experienced a period of geopolitical instability and an economic crisis following the stock market crash. In 1990, Kuwait was invaded and subsequently annexed by Iraq under the leadership of Saddam Hussein following disputes over oil production.[23] The Iraqi occupation of Kuwait ended on 26 February 1991, following military intervention by a coalition led by the United States and several other nations.
Like most other Arab states in the Persian Gulf, Kuwait is an emirate; the emir is the head of state and the ruling Al Sabah family dominates the country's political system. Kuwait's official state religion is Islam, specifically the Maliki school of Sunni Islam. Kuwait is a high-income economy, backed by the world's sixth largest oil reserves. Kuwaiti popular culture, in the form of theatre, radio, music, and television soap opera, is exported to neighboring Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.[24] Kuwait is a founding member of the GCC and is also a member of the UN, AL, OPEC and the OIC.
The name "Kuwait" is from the Mesopotamian Arabic diminutive form of كوت (Kut or Kout), meaning "fortress built near water". The country's official name has been the "State of Kuwait" since 1961.
During the Ubaid period (6500 BC), Kuwait was the central site of interaction between the peoples of Mesopotamia and Neolithic Eastern Arabia,[27][28][29][30][31] including Bahra 1 and site H3 in Subiya.[27][32][33][34] The Neolithic inhabitants of Kuwait were among the world's earliest maritime traders.[35] One of the world's earliest reed-boats was discovered at site H3 dating back to the Ubaid period.[36] Other Neolithic sites in Kuwait are located in Khiran and Sulaibikhat.[27]
Mesopotamians first settled in the Kuwaiti island of Failaka in 2000 BC[37][38] Traders from the Sumerian city of Ur inhabited Failaka and ran a mercantile business.[37][38] The island had many Mesopotamian-style buildings typical of those found in Iraq dating from around 2000 BC[38][37] In 4000 BC until 2000 BC, Kuwait was home to the Dilmun civilization.[39][40][41][42][26] Dilmun included Al-Shadadiya,[26] Akkaz,[39] Umm an Namil,[39][43] and Failaka.[39][42] At its peak in 2000 BC, Dilmun controlled the Persian Gulf trading routes.[44]
During the Dilmun era (from ca. 3000 BC), Failaka was known as "Agarum", the land of Enzak, a great god in the Dilmun civilization according to Sumerian cuneiform texts found on the island.[45] As part of Dilmun, Failaka became a hub for the civilization from the end of the 3rd to the middle of the 1st millennium BC.[45][46] After the Dilmun civilization, Failaka was inhabited by the Kassites of Mesopotamia,[47] and was formally under the control of the Kassite dynasty of Babylon.[47] Studies indicate traces of human settlement can be found on Failaka dating back to as early as the end of the 3rd millennium BC, and extending until the 20th century AD.[45] Many of the artifacts found in Falaika are linked to Mesopotamian civilizations and seem to show that Failaka was gradually drawn toward the civilization based in Antioch.[48]
Under Nebuchadnezzar II, the bay of Kuwait was under Babylonian control.[49] Cuneiform documents found in Failaka indicate the presence of Babylonians in the island's population.[50] Babylonian Kings were present in Failaka during the Neo-Babylonian Empire period, Nabonidus had a governor in Failaka and Nebuchadnezzar II had a palace and temple in Falaika.[51][52] Failaka also contained temples dedicated to the worship of Shamash, the Mesopotamian sun god in the Babylonian pantheon.[52]
In fourth century BC, the ancient Greeks colonized the bay of Kuwait under Alexander the Great. The ancient Greeks named mainland Kuwait Larissa and Failaka was named Ikaros.[55][56][57][58] The bay of Kuwait was named Hieros Kolpos.[59] According to Strabo and Arrian, Alexander the Great named Failaka Ikaros because it resembled the Aegean Island of that name in size and shape. Elements of Greek mythology were mixed with the local cults.[60] "Ikaros" was also the name of a prominent city situated in Failaka.[61] Large Hellenistic forts and Greek temples were uncovered.[62] Archaeological remains of Greek colonization were also discovered in Akkaz, Umm an Namil, and Subiya.[26]
At the time of Alexander the Great, the mouth of the Euphrates River was located in northern Kuwait.[63][64] The Euphrates river flowed directly into the Persian Gulf via Khor Subiya which was a river channel at the time.[63][64] Failaka was located 15 kilometers from the mouth of the Euphrates river.[63][64] By the first century BC, the Khor Subiya river channel dried out completely.[63][64]
In 127 BC, Kuwait was part of the Parthian Empire and the kingdom of Characene was established around Teredon in present-day Kuwait.[65][66][67] Characene was centered in the region encompassing southern Mesopotamia,[68] Characene coins were discovered in Akkaz, Umm an Namil, and Failaka.[69][70] A busy Parthian commercial station was situated in Kuwait.[71]
In 224 AD, Kuwait became part of the Sassanid Empire. At the time of the Sassanid Empire, Kuwait was known as Meshan,[72] which was an alternative name of the kingdom of Characene.[73][74] Akkaz was a Partho-Sassanian site;[75] the Sassanid religion's tower of silence was discovered in northern Akkaz.[75][76][77] Late Sassanian settlements were discovered in Failaka.[78] In Bubiyan, there is archaeological evidence of Sassanian to early Islamic periods of human presence as evidenced by the recent discovery of torpedo-jar pottery shards on several prominent beach ridges.[79]
In 636 AD, the Battle of Chains between the Sassanid Empire and Rashidun Caliphate was fought in Kuwait.[80][81] As a result of Rashidun victory in 636 AD, the bay of Kuwait was home to the city of Kazma (also known as "Kadhima" or "Kāzimah") in the early Islamic era.[81][82][83][84][85][86][87]
In the early to mid 1700s, Kuwait City was as a small fishing village. Administratively, it was a sheikhdom, ruled by local sheikhs from Bani Khalid clan.[88] Sometime in the mid 1700s, the Bani Utbah settled in Kuwait City.[89][90] Sometime after the death of the Bani Khalid's leader Barak bin Abdul Mohsen [ar] and the fall of the Bani Khalid Emirate, the Utub were able to wrest control of Kuwait as a result of successive matrimonial alliances.[90]
The instability in Basra helped foster economic prosperity in Kuwait.[99][100] In the late 18th century, Kuwait was a haven for Basra merchants fleeing Ottoman persecution.[101] Kuwait was the center of boat building in the Persian Gulf,[102] its ships renowned throughout the Indian Ocean.[103][104] Its sailors developed a positive reputation in the Persian Gulf.[91][105][106] In the 19th century, Kuwait became significant in the horse trade,[107] with regular shipments in sailing vessels.[107] In the mid 19th century, it was estimated that Kuwait exported an average of 800 horses to India annually.[99]
In 1899, ruler Sheikh Mubarak Al Sabah signed an agreement with the British government in India (subsequently known as the Anglo-Kuwaiti Agreement of 1899) making Kuwait a British protectorate. This gave Britain exclusive access and trade with Kuwait, while denying Ottoman provinces to the north a port on the Persian Gulf. The Sheikhdom of Kuwait remained a British protectorate until 1961.[88]
During World War I, the British Empire imposed a trade blockade against Kuwait because Kuwait's ruler at the time, Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, supported the Ottoman Empire.[109][110][111] The British economic blockade heavily damaged Kuwait's economy.[111]
In 1919, Sheikh Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah intended to build a commercial city in the south of Kuwait. This caused a diplomatic crisis with Najd, but Britain intervened, discouraging Sheikh Salim. In 1920, an attempt by the Ikhwan to build a stronghold in southern Kuwait led to the Battle of Hamdh. The Battle of Hamdh involved 2,000 Ikhwan fighters against 100 Kuwaiti cavalrymen and 200 Kuwaiti infantrymen. The battle lasted for six days and resulted in heavy but unknown casualties on both sides resulting in the victory of the Ikhwan forces and leading to the battle of Jahra around the Kuwait Red Fort. The Battle of Jahra happened as the result of the Battle of Hamdh. A force of three to four thousand Ikhwan, led by Faisal Al-Dawish, attacked the Red Fort at Al-Jahra, defended by fifteen hundred men. The fort was besieged and the Kuwaiti position precarious[112] The Ikhwan attack repulsed for the while, negotiations began between Salim and Al-Dawish; the latter threatened another attack if the Kuwaiti forces did not surrender. The local merchant class convinced Salim to call in help from British troops, who showed up with airplanes and three warships, ending the attacks.[112] After the Battle of Jahra, Ibn Saud's warriors, the Ikhwan, demanded that Kuwait follows five rules: evict all the Shias, adopt the Ikhwan doctrine, label the Turks "heretics", abolish smoking, munkar and prostitution, and destroy the American missionary hospital.[113]
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