Failaka Island

Located 60 miles south of where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers empty into the Persian Gulf, Failaka Island has been a strategic location since the rise of Ur, the great ancient Mesopotamian city during the third millennium BC. From that location the maritime trade that passed by the Persian Gulf could be protected. Two harbors were built on the Island, and potable water and fertile soil allowed its occupation among the centuries.

Thanks to the Kuwait’s Antiquities Office, the site is now protected to prevent any damage and to enable archaeologists to study its history. Excavations conducted by archaeologists from many countries expose evidence of Mesopotamian merchants that show how Failaka Island was once a strategic location along the maritime routes. Underwater cultural heritage remains have been found.