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Friday, December 02, 2011

Where is Souq Al-Hareem? It is MISSING

We are F-ing turning into Dubai:  A contrived quaint village of what life in Kuwait USED to be.  They are modernizing Mubarakia to make it "better".  I am really upset.

I love the old souq in Kuwait - primarily because it was the one place that had been untouched by "modernization" that has reached all corners of this country. (Out with the old, in with the new.)  Parts of the old souq have recently been renovated to look like a vision of it's former glory (but that never was).  What is wrong with the way it has been the whole time;  funky and eclectic and full of life?

Then Photo
Photo Credit:  Blog Libero

I like that people of all levels of society come to Mubarakia to share food in an outdoor area; and to shop for small items that are relics of a previous existence. It is the one place in Kuwait where everyone still has a common ground.

I went in search of a Kuwaiti child's costume at Souq Al-Hareem last night.  The ENTIRE souq is gone.  No one seemed disturbed by this.  I stood in the road where the stalls of women selling brightly colored clothing used to be and just felt sick to my stomach.
Now:  December 1, 2011


So, I hear it is going to come back, "better than it was before" - but again, by WHOSE definition of "better"? Was this some kind of a contract given to one of the top hoodlum companies as everything else in Kuwait is done?
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4 comments:

  1. 6491976December 4, 2011 at 4:49 AM

    The problem in Kuwait is that people don't respect history. Our society doesn't understand the importance of those monuments. every thing looks cartoony! There's nothing we can do about it since the decisions are taken by ministries and people who actually care about architectural history are shocked to find out that a building simply disappears.

    ReplyDelete
  2. NicoleDecember 10, 2011 at 10:35 AM

    No shit :(
    It will be back... right.
    In 10 years maybe at the pace they build stuff here :(
    And like you say, who knows what they gonna make of it :(

    ReplyDelete
  3. dailyDecember 10, 2011 at 5:23 PM

    It's like those fantastic houses along from la baguette just before you get to the Palm Palace in Salmiya. I would KILL for a house in that style- you could keep the outside and renovate from within, keeping the feel of the 'old Kuwait'.
    Unfortunately the Range Rover Culture has taken over the country and new is much better than old.....new means money and tradition to them means no class....if only they really knew....

    ReplyDelete
  4. MaxDecember 7, 2017 at 6:19 PM

    6 years later....did anything change back to what it was?

    ReplyDelete

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