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After work I passed by Al Manshar Mall today for lunch and before leaving I asked the mall’s staff if the rumor about demolishing the mall soon is true, guess what? Its true. I’m surprised because the mall is new, I think was opened in 2007 and now they are going to demolish it totally to re-build another bigger mall that they say will be the 2nd biggest in Kuwait with a cost of 70 Million Dinar.

I like about Manshar mall that they have those souvenirs and antiques shop that can’t be found elsewhere in Kuwait, they could have at least considered to renovate or re-design the mall to minimize the cost but I guess money isn’t an issue for the owners.

Anyhow they say the mall will be shutdown by end of 2012, I shot a few pictures for the mall to remember the old Manshar Mall by.

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On my way to work this early morning I saw this billboard on King Fahad high, it reads “Here Begins the Future Kuwait” with a sketch for the planned Sheikh Jaber Bridge project, I’m not exactly sure what they meant with that but it seems its a PR thing to help showing that they’re working.

Later I saw on the paper the same ad with the current projects handled by Ministry of Public Work but I’m wondering if they can really complete the Metro Project and new Kuwait airport as planned, I consider them to the be the most vital projects that we need.

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I was reading the paper this early morning and came across this upsetting new report stating that the Grand Mosque is now prone to collapse due to nearby construction works for Kuwait central bank’s basement, so it wasn’t closed for regular maintenance works. Based on my background in engineering I’ve to blame the Ministry of Public Works for not making sure that the contractor prepares proper study for the effect of construction/demolition works on all buildings adjacent to Kuwait Central Bank.

Not only we won’t be able to pray there or do Qiyam prayer in upcoming Ramadan but it also represents a great monument in Kuwait, I believe the right thing now is to hire a consultant to study the problem and propose solutions and hopefully they won’t go for demolish and re-build.

Read more here

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If there’s one thing about Kuwait, then its the unique designs we see for houses. Architecturally unique houses designs have always fascinated me, actually I dream that one day I’ll have my own unique house, so let’s see what are the most exotic mansions in Kuwait.

The first house that popped on my mind is the one located at Abu Al Hassniya and has many statues and somehow resembles a medieval church in Europe (See above), quiet exotic.

This one’s located at Messilah by the sea, I could see it when I’m driving on Fahaheel express way, everytime I see it I imagine the world of Sindbad especially with those big domes, nice.

I’m sure most of you have seen this one already, located on Damascus street, it was designed to look like a palace, eye-catchy especially at night (Mashallah).

This one is located in Qadisiya area and known as the House of Mirrors, many tourists come to see it and there’s a really lovely story behind it. Inside you’ll see that everything was designed with mirrors.

Read more previous post about it here

This house can be seen from Fahaheel express way, there’re windmills fixed to generate electricity, smart.

This mansion is at Abu Al Hassaniya, its really big and elegantly designed too, it looks like a modern castle.

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I was searching over the 5-star hotels in Kuwait and found out that we only have 10, honestly I thought we had more. It turned out there are several hotels that are about to open and I think this is because the government had announced about a plan to turn Kuwait into a financial center couple years back.

Jumeirah Messilah: I’m waiting for this one which covers 55,000 Sq. meter area and expected to open on September 2012 because I heard many great stuff about it including a private beach, 80 suites, 12 villas, 6 restaurants, two ballrooms, Spa and more. Its located at Messilah area just beside Messilah beach.

InterContinental: I see it every time I’m driving on Gulf road nearby Sultan Center, I’m loving the location and the architectural design especially the entrance but there will be no private beach. I suspect the room window view will be amazing, I was told that it will open probably next September or October 2012.

Salmiyah Hotel: This is isn’t exactly a 5-star hotel but the company promised to deliver 5-stars experience, located on Fahaheel express way at Salmiyah and from what I saw that its in the final stages of construction, the cost is 35 Million KD. Some of the facilities include 300 rooms and royal suites, 3 ballrooms, restaurants..etc.

Radisson Blu Hotel: This one is not new but its currently under a total renovation and will soon have a face-lift on the outside and inside as well, I’ve seen some of the after photos and it looks amazing though I’m not yet sure when it will be re-opened?

Hotel Missoni: This one is a relatively new (opened March 2011) but until now its my favorite hotel in Kuwait, I just love how it was designed and furnished. See my previous post about it here

So did I miss anything?  Though I hope with the opening of these new hotels the room rates will decrease.

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What do you think are the vital projects that we really need to have in Kuwait to make it a more beautiful and more developed country? I guess its not more restaurants and shopping malls as we are already loaded with them (I’m not minding more) but in my humble opinion these are the kind of projects we really need:

New bigger airport: This is one of the most important key projects and the good news is that I read that Civil Aviaition will launch a tender for $2.9 billion dollar, its time for government to take serious actions for the new airport expansion project.

Read more here

Metro Project: Kuwait streets has reached beyond its capacity and simply cannot handle more traffic volume, currently the Ministry of Public Works are spending millions to re-design the existing roads as they did with 5th and 1st ring roads but these are all temporary solutions and the only real solution is to have a public metro transport, I’ll be the first to use it.

Read more here

Kuwait Opera House/New modern theaters: We need a genuine Opera House and new stages/theaters and cultural centers for performances.

Formula One/Racing track: Every night Kuwait streets and highways turn into dangerous racing tracks, isn’t it smart to have our own Formula One/Racing track so these young drivers who are hungry for speed have their own place? additionally, isn’t it cool for Kuwait to host International Formula One championships?

Olympic Stadiums: The current stadiums are way too old, I know we have Jaber stadium but there were many problems with the project since day one, see how Qatar has done a plan to construct new stadiums to host the World Cup 2022.

More Greeneries: More greeneries will not only produce nice landscapes but also help with pollution, dust and general climate.

New Ice Skating Rink: We need a new bigger ice skating rink or possibly renovate the existing one in Kuwait city.

New environment-friendly power stations: The existing power stations have reached their maximum production, we need new ones that are more effective and friendly to the local environment.

Clean Fuel Project: This project is currently in-progress, it will produce clean fuel for cars, power stations and vehicles and this will help our environment greatly.

If you have more ideas or thoughts please share it with me.

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A week ago we posted about new shopping malls popping up everywhere in Kuwait, guess what? Today I was at Egaila area and I spotted a new shopping mall called Al Liwan. I’m surprised on how Kuwaitis spent 27 Million dollars for shopping in Dubai despite the infinitely many shopping malls here, as of now I’m calling Kuwait “The Malls City”.

I took quick tour inside and saw X-Cite, max, Baroue, GÉANT market,  Nestle Toll House cafe, Crocs, Abdul Samad Al Qurashi, McDonald’s, Hassan optician among many other stores that are distributed on 4 levels, it could serve those who live in surrounding areas such as Fintas, Fahaheel, Egaila, and Abu Hulaifa.

Address: Egaila block 5 – Nearby Al Bairaq mall.

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We finally had the chance today to have a tour at the new Avenues mall expansion (AKA Phase III) that is currently in its final stages of construction and planned to open on September 2012. We arrived there at 1:00 PM where a team from the Avenues were waiting for us and  then we were taken on a tour throughout the different districts of the Phase-III.

[Watch on YouTube]

I must say I’m impressed with what I’ve seen and now I’m confident to say that the Avenues will be the largest shopping mall in the region when Phase-III is completed.

The total Phase-III area is about 100, 000 sq.meter and will include over 400 retail shops (that’s equal to Phase I&II combined) that are distributed over 4 districts (Grand Avenue, Prestige, The Souk, Soku, and Bazaar) and there will be 5,000 parking on three basement levels.

I noticed that Phase-III is quiet different with regards to designs and concept where 5 unique districts are being connected, each of these districts has its own concept and idea. The contractor is Mabanee and most of the remaining works were finishings.

Grand Avenue district: This is where we started our tour, it looked like a tree-lined boulevard similar to Shanzelize in Paris, the architecture was a mix of three styles; European, Regional, and Contemporary under a curved roof, nice. I also liked how the A/C was hidden.

Prestige District: This is Salhiya-like shopping mall for those who seek luxury (Kash5a in Kuwaiti), its built on two-levels with high-end brands stores, there will be valet parking and hands-free shopping services.

Soku District: It stands for South of Kuwait, they say this is youth-oriented; a funky place influenced from New York’s bohemian Soho district. There will be retail shops, cafe’s, and restaurants for young people.

Souk District: As we walked around the Souk district I observed that the designs were resembling old and traditional Kuwaiti souk, it looked like Souk Mubarkiya with narrow streets and small shops.

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Do you have any questions about the Avenues Mall new expansion? We have received an official invitation by the Avenues management for a site-visit to the under-construction Phase III of the mall.

The Phases III will include luxury retail brands, Traditional Kuwaiti souk, Urban shopping experience, and Traditional bazaar. We promise to get you exclusive photos, information, and when will be the completion date.

Note: Please submit your questions before 1:00 pm tomorrow.

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Do you think Kuwait market can still cater for more shopping malls? I say it depends if the new malls have something different to offer us otherwise most people will find the Avenues, 360 Mall, or say Marina Mall more than enough. Despite the financial risks, there are several big shopping malls and touristic places that will open their doors shortly, let’s list them down.

Al Hamra Mall: I’m already loving this one and I think it will be a success because like I said it brings new things like a new cinema company, new brands like Armani Cafe, Hermes, Gucci Cafe and several others plus its located at the tallest tower in Kuwait.

The Mall of Kuwait: Located south of Kuwait and I think its being constructed by Tamdeen, its supposed to open by now but I think there’s a delay, its a big mall with area of six million sq.ft with 220 retail outlets, three department stores, a hypermart, 750-seat performance hall, 10 cinemas, a bowling alley, and multi story parking.

The Boulevard: I’m sure you all saw it opposite to City Center Salmiyah, it consists of 28,000 sq. meter shopping mall and a family entertainment arena.

Al Safat Mall: A new mall located at Hawally area opposite to Sultan Center, the construction is completed and design-wise it looks good, but still not opened.

Typhoon: According to our friend 965malls that this is a small mall with 5,000 square meter located at Abu Hassaniya, contains spas and entertainment centers and expected to open on October.

The Avenues – Phase III: This is the new expansion for Avenues Phases I & II and includes luxury retail brands, Traditional Kuwaiti souk, Urban shopping experience, and Traditional bazaar.

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[YouTube link]

I love the night view of Kuwait City skyline especially with the tall colorful buildings, I thought about making a High Definition video for my favorite towers in Kuwait City so you can enjoy their beautiful architectural design. That’s our gift to you guys and hope you like it!

Note: Please set the video resolution to 1080p for best quality, enjoy! 

Towers: Al Hamra, Al Raya I & II, United Tower, Tijaria and others.

Image via [Saleh AlRashaid]

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