Kuwait City history

Black gold' which was discovered in Kuwait early in the 20th century, has of course been the secret of Kuwait City's dramatic transformation from modest pearling town to thriving, international business hub. The first well was drilled in 1936 and production has continued seamlessly, except during the invasion of Iraq (1990-91), for over half a century.

While a museum and a memorial is about the only physical reminder of the invasion by Saddam Hussein in the early 1990s, the war has had a more lasting psychological effect. Kuwaiti citizens of all nationalities share an intense pride in a city that showed great bravery under attack.