The red courtyards
Broad yards with clay walls.
Zairon — CC BY 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY 4.0 · Zairon — CC BY 4.0
The Red Palace is a historic mud-brick palace in Al Jahra, west of Kuwait City, begun by Kuwait's ruler Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah in 1896 and named for its walls of red clay. It covers about 6,500 sq m with 33 rooms, and is now a heritage site under the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters. The palace housed Sheikh Mubarak's wife Al-Jazi bint Fahd and served as a fort guarding the way to Kuwait. It won its fame in the Battle of Jahra in 1920, when Sheikh Salem Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah sheltered here and a well was dug inside during the siege. It remains a major landmark of modern Kuwaiti history, and sometimes hosts exhibitions and heritage events. Its walls stand about 4.5 m high and a metre thick, with watchtowers called ghoula at the four corners and firing slits in the walls. Inside are the ruler's quarters around a broad courtyard, a narrow mosque, a diwaniya for receiving guests and a stable that held about a hundred horses. It all glows a strong red-orange after restoration, with figures of people and horses evoking old life in the courtyards and roofs overlooking the yards. The palace is about 29 km west of Souq Al-Mubarakiya in a straight line, so you need a car or taxi. We found no published hours, and a few sources describe it as a heritage museum, so call the National Council before going. Choose the cooler months, as the courtyards are exposed.
Broad yards with clay walls.
Watchtowers at the four corners.
Views over the palace yards.
Al Qasr area, Al Jahra Governorate
It is linked with the Battle of Jahra in 1920, and it is a rare surviving example of a large mud-brick palace in Kuwait.
We found no confirmed hours, and it may open only at certain times or for events, so call the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters first.