Kuwait the past, Dubai the present, Qatar the future?
I always heard the notion”Kuwait the past, Dubai the present, Qatar the future” when ever the topic is regarding the urban development within the GCC region but frankly I never believed that simply because I believed that Kuwait can still catch up with the development we see in neighboring countries since we got all the required resources such as funding (I’m talking money, we have surplus)) and workforce and all we lacked is the decision making. I’m still hoping that my belief is still valid even though there are things that point to the other direction.
A friend of mine from Doha has sent me 3D presentation for a new “dreamy” project so called Doha Bay Crossing which will be an underwater tunnel connecting downtown to Sheraton Hotel. I recall another video Hamad International Airport (HIA) which was recently open and considered one of the largest and most advanced airports in the region and can handle over 29 million annual passengers. However what I personally loved about HIA is that it was completed as per the planned schedule as per uncle Wikipedia, something that we obviously lack in Kuwait mega projects. I’ve visited Qatar last summer and I must tell you it’s indeed one of the fastest developing countries in the whole region. I must admit I’m being envious since I really wish to see the mega projects in Kuwait such as New Kuwait International Airport terminal, Kuwait Metro Project, Jaber Causeway, City of Silk (see below image) and other planned (or should I say promised?) projects to be implemented so we could move forward.
Now the million dinar question; is the speculation regarding Kuwait catching up with development is still feasible or is it far fetched considering the givens?
Thanks [Hamed][Tazmania]
Later an engineer from Ministry of Telecom. has escorted me to the first platform which is 150m high, I wanted to go to the upper levels but obviously that wasn’t allowed by any means unless of course I got some sort of “Super Wasta” which clearly I don’t. Little about Liberation Tower, it stand at 372m high and the construction started back in May 1981 and has been interrupted during the invasion 1990, later the reconstruction was resumed on January 1994 and was completed in 1996.
As I said the tower’s height is 372m and I think it’s currently the 21st tallest tower in the world, the lower part of the tower is made of armed concrete while the upper part is made of steel with antenna at 372m high. It’s currently used for telecommunication purposes, I remember I heard that there’s a revolving restaurant at 150m high plarform and that an American investor will manage the restaurant.
I got excited as I got inside the high speed elevator which took less than a minute to reach the 150m high platform and as the door opened I saw an empty round-shaped revolving platform resembling that one of Kuwait Towers, sadly there was no restaurant, it was actually totally empty. I asked about the restaurant but they said that Baladiya didn’t give the necessary permits as of yet, I hated Baladiya for that! Liberation Tower can be a great touristic attraction and having 360 degrees revolving restaurant overlooking Kuwait City is one awesome idea. I admit that I was kinda let down but anyway I know things are slow moving in Kuwait, I was walking around enjoying Kuwait City skyline using the auto-focus fixed telescopes to spot popular buildings and places in Kuwait.
The glass was dusty but they said they have it cleaned two times a year but due to dusty weather it gets dirty pretty quickly, they also say that Failaka Island can be easily seen at night. I gotta say that visiting Liberation Tower was such an enjoyable experience but I wish that Baladiye will allow them to open the revolving restaurant.
