Kuwait
| State of Kuwait | |
|---|---|
| |
| National anthem | Al-Nasheed Al-Watani |
| Capital (and largest city) | Kuwait City |
| Official language | Arabic |
| Government type | Constitutional Monarchy |
| Emir | Sabbah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah |
| Prime Minister | al-Ahmed al-Sabah |
| Area | 17,820 km² 6880 mi² |
| Population | 2,505,559 [1] (142) (2007 estimate) |
| Population density | 141/km² 364 mi² |
| HDI | Template:Increase0.891 (high) (33) (2007) |
| Currency | Kuwaiti Dinar (KD) |
| Time zone | AST (UTC+3) |
| Country codes | Internet TLD : .kw Calling code : ++965 |
The State of Kuwait is a country on the Persian Gulf. It borders Iraq to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south. Kuwait is well known as a regional center of the oil industry, which accounts for the majority of its economic output. It was invaded by Iraq under Saddam Hussein, who occupied it for several months before being driven out by an American-led force in the 1991 Gulf War. Despite its small size (a little less than the state of New Jersey). Kuwait is one of the most developed Arab countries and plays an important role in the Middle East
History
Ancient History
Parts of Kuwait have been inhabited since ancient times, most notably Faylakha island, which has evidence of human occupation dating from 3000 BC. Alexander the Great established a trading post on the island, which was called Icaros by the Greeks. The island probably fell under the control of the Selucid, Byzantine, and Sassanid empires when they occupied the surrounding area, although, since the area was something of a backwater, no definitive records exist. Later, nomadic Bedouin tribes inhabited the area, and Islamic armies engaged Persian forces at Kazima in 623 AD, beginning their conquest of Persia.
Sometime before 1613, a small fishing village called Qurain (from the Arabic word Qarn, "hill"), was established on the site of present day Kuwait City by the Bani Khalid tribe. In 1672, Barrak bin Ghuraif, shiek of the Bani Khalid, built a small fortress in the city to protect against the neighboring ruler of Basra. The Arabic word for small fortress is "kuwait", which soon became the name of the entire area.
Al-Sabah Rule
In 1710, several Bedouin clans were forced by drought to leave their homes, in the central part of modern Saudi Arabia. After several decades of wondering around the Arabian peninsula, they gradually, over several waves, made their way to Kuwait, the first arriving in 1710, and the last by 1756. The new arrivals, known as the Bani Utub, gradually took power from the city's old Bani Khalid rulers. The three most powerful Bani Utub families, al-Sabah, al-Khalifa, and al-Jalahima, agreed to share power in the city in 1716. In 1756, Sabah bin Jaber, a member of the al-Sabah family, was elected as sheik, beginning the al-Sabah dynasty that has ruled the country ever since.
Kuwait prospered under al-Sabah rule. The first wall around Kuwait City was built around 1760. Around this time, the Ottomans, rulers of the port of Basra and most of the Middle East, began imposing large tariffs and trade regulations on merchants. As a result, business began to shift to Kuwait, which grew into a substantial trading center.
In 1766, a conflict arose between Kuwait and the Bani Kaab, and Arab tribe from modern-day Kuzistan, Iran. According to tradition, the conflict was over the refusal by Kuwaiti sheik Abdullah to marry his daughter Mariam to a Bani Kaab man, though Bani Kaab piracy and disputes over Kuwaiti tribute probably played a role. The al-Khalifa and al-Jalahima were unhappy about the war and growing al-Sabah authority, and decided to leave Kuwait (the al-Khalifa would later found the current ruling dynasty of Bahrain). Despite the loss of their allies, the al-Sabah fought off the invaders, according to tradition with the help of Miriam and her cousin Salim. Miriam and Salim would become Kuwait's first national heroes, and even today, "Awlad Salim!" ("Children of Salim!") and "Ana ikhu Miriam!" ("I am the brother of Mariam!") are the two battle cries of the Kuwaiti army.
The war, however, was not over. Further conflicts occured in 1779, 1780, and 1783, when the Bani Kaab fleet was decisively defeated by the Kuwaitis and forced to pay tribute. Kuwait continued to prosper. Its citizens began to exploit the fields of pearl oysters found off Kuwait's coast-among the richest sources of pearls in the world, they would become the lynchpin of Kuwait's economy until the 20th century. A series of plagues and wars near Basra that continued to 1850 caused more trade to move from that city to Kuwait.
During this time, British influence began to extend in Kuwait. The British East India Company maintained a presence in the sheikdom beginning in 1775. From 1775 through 1779, Kuwait was the main transfer point for mail from India to Britain. At this stage, the British presence in the Gulf mostly existed to protect their route to India.
Meanwhile, Kuwait had other problems. The Wahhabis, Sunni fundamentalists who had taken control of much of the Arabian peninsula, attacked Kuwait in 1793, hoping to conquer it. The Wahhabis defeated Kuwaiti troops on the battlefield, but decided not to attack Kuwait City itself. Kuwait withstood further attacks by Wahhabis in 1794 and 1797, and by the Qawasim, a group of pirates allied with the Wahhabis, in 1810 and 1811. Each time, Kuwait, with the occasional help of the British.