Kuwait City, Kuwait
Legislative building
The Kuwait National Assembly Building, on Arabian Gulf Street in Kuwait City's Qibla district, is an architectural landmark designed in 1972 by the Danish architect Jørn Utzon, creator of the Sydney Opera House, and completed in 1982 under his son Jan, with structural design by Max Walt. It was officially opened in 1986 as part of the 25th National Day celebrations. In late 1969, as part of building the new state's institutions after independence, Kuwait invited Utzon into a competition for the building. Drawing on Islamic architecture, he conceived a walled miniature city of departments around courtyards, joined by a long central hall like a bazaar street. Its most striking feature outside is a vast curved concrete canopy on the seafront, often likened to a Bedouin tent or a sail in the wind, sheltering an open public plaza facing the sea. Inside are the main chamber, the Abdullah Al-Salem Hall, seating about a thousand, and offices and halls. The building was badly damaged in February 1991 when retreating Iraqi troops set it on fire, and was later restored.
The building is not open to the public; see it from Arabian Gulf Street and the waterfront, photographing from outside in line with security instructions. The curved canopy looks best from the sea side late in the day. Make it a stop on a Gulf Street tour with the Grand Mosque, Seif Palace and nearby Souq Mubarakiya.
Hours and prices change — check before you go. Source: en.wikipedia.org
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ParkKuwait City, Kuwait
