Kuwait City - History

History

Kuwait City was first settled in the early 18th century by the Al-Sabāh clan, later the ruling family of Kuwait and a branch of the Al-Utūb tribe (that also included the Al-Khalīfah clan, the ruling family of Bahrain), and their leader, Sheikh Sabāh I. Its name may have derived from an earlier abandoned fort located there, called "Kūt" (كوت) – Arabic for a fortress by the sea.

The settlement grew quickly, and by the time its first wall was built (1760), the town had its own dhow fleet of about 800 and trading relations to Baghdad and Damascus. It was a successful and thriving sea port by the early 19th century.

It was unclear whether Kuwait was part of the Ottoman Empire, and as a result, tensions often broke out between the sheikdom and the empire. These tensions peaked when, in 1896, Sheikh Mubārak Al-Sabāh assassinated his brother, the emir Muhammad Al-Sabāh, over Mubārak's deep suspicion that the Ottoman Empire was willing to annex Kuwait.

In exchange for British naval protection, Mubārak was not to negotiate or give territory to any other foreign power without British consent. With the discovery of oil in 1936, the city’s standard of living improved dramatically, including health and education services.

On August 2, 1990, Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait and seized the city. On August 8, Iraq annexed the emirate. During the occupation, the city was extensively damaged and many buildings were destroyed after it, including the Kuwait National Museum.

When U.S.-led United Nations (UN) forces expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait in February 1991 during Operation Desert Storm, foreign investors and the Kuwaiti government were actively involved in modernizing the city and turning it into a world-class business hub. Many hotels, shopping malls and offices were built in the city indicating the economic growth since the war.

In April 14–16, 1993, former U.S. President George H. W. Bush was visiting the city to celebrate a coalition's victory over Iraq in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. However, a day before the visit, agents of the Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS) smuggled a car bomb into Kuwait in intent of killing Bush during his visit to that city. However the plan was foiled and Kuwaiti officials arrested 17 persons suspected of carry out the plot after a car bomb was found. Later, Saddam's agents admitted carrying out the attack under the direction from the IIS.

On June 26–27 of that year, U.S. President Bill Clinton responded to an attempted assassination by the IIS on Bush by firing 23 Tomahawk cruise missiles against the Iraqi Intelligence headquarters in downtown Baghdad. Around 8 civilians were killed in the attack.