Once Upon a Time in Kuwait

Pictures from a time before oil was king.

BY CARA PARKS | APRIL 4, 2012

One reason Kuwait's infrastructure development lagged before oil was discovered was the lack of potable water. The city-state was completely dependent on imported water until the first desalination plant was built in the 1950s. Kuwaitis have told Diwan that before the plant was built, dhows would travel to the Shatt al-Arab in Iraq to collect water for the city, a labor-intensive and time-consuming feat.

Above, fishing boats are anchored in the Kuwait City harbor in 1950.

F. H. Andrus

 

Cara Parks is the deputy managing editor of Foreign Policy.