Failaka Island

Today a thirty minute catamaran ride brought us 20 kilometers from Kuwait City to Failaka Island.  Lying in the Persian Gulf in a strategic position close to Iraq and Iran,  Failaka was once named Icaria, when in the 3rd century BC the Ancient Greeks colonized the island.   Although inhabited by the Greeks through the 7th or 8th century AD,  it is unknown when the island was settled in modern times.   During 1990 and 1991, the advancing Iraqis expelled the roughly two thousand residents to the mainland of Kuwait.  Then the destruction of the island began.  The beaches were mined and the buildings destroyed by bombs, bullet holes and decay.   After the war, the beaches were cleared of mines, but the decay continues.  Although many attempts have been made to make Failaka a popular tourist destination with a new hotel and Heritage Village complete with restaurants, museum, and miniature golf,  the effects from the war dominate the landscape giving the island a ghost town impression.

The Ikaros Hotel and Heritage Village, the only developed area on the island, has made great strides in an attempt to draw tourists.  However, at this time of the year, when the temperatures are at their best for drawing such crowds, very little is available to lure the tourists and we had 5 hours to fill on the island until our return ferry ride.

The report of Greek Ruins on the island is correct, however the Alexander Museum was closed and the entire area fenced off to inquisitive tourists.  After a motored island tour, which included stops at a camel farm,  military museum where tanks and other equipment are left to further decay in the elements, and a drive-by look at the closed Alexander Museum, we were left to wander through the near empty Village.

Chuck took this photo, as I chose not to get out of the tour bus.  

Although there is certainly the potential for drawing tourists to Failaka, much more will need to be done to make this a must see destination.