Kuwait

Arabian Peninsula

Located in the Middle East on the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, at the Western end of Persian Gulf, the area of Kuwait used to be settled by only few nomadic Bedouins until the founding of Kuwait City in the 1600s. Nearly all of the country is flat, sandy desert, with a few small hills. Here and there a few oases (watered, fertile areas) provide shelter and subsistence for the Bedouin nomads and their flocks and herds.

It holds ten percent of the world's proven oil reserves. Its Arabic name means fort, and in essence that's exactly how it was formed, as it was once home to a small desert community until the Al-Sabah family took control, and literally built the first (fortified) settlement in the mid-1700s when Arab tribes from the central desert of the Arabian Peninsula migrated to the more hospitable shore of the Persian Gulf. In 1756 they chose the Sabahs to be the ruling family of what is now the nation of Kuwait; the Sabah family was allowed much self-government in local matters.

It was then just a simple mud-walled city, dependent on regional trade with nearby countries and tribes, the pearl business, and on its productive fishing in the Persian Gulf.

Arabian Peninsula, Middle East.

The climate of Kuwait is one of the hottest in the world, often reaching temperatures of 125 F (52 C) in the summer. During the winter months, temperatures are much cooler. Rainfall is scarce, falling mostly between October and April.

During the 1700’s and early 1800’s Kuwait was important as a port for all of central Arabia. But attacks on the town of Kuwait by raiding Arab tribes and by Persian Gulf pirates led to its economic decline.

Because the two countries could not agree on which of them should rule the desert area just south of Kuwait on the Saudi Arabian border, they made the region into a neutral zone shared by both. The importance of this territory increased greatly when oil was discovered there.

Britain became especially interested in Kuwait because the Persian Gulf was a vital waterway on the route to British-controlled India. By the end of the 1800’s, Sheikh Mubarak al-Sabah feared that the Ottoman Turks would occupy his country. In 1899 he signed a treaty with Britain, in return for British protection. Britain oversaw foreign relations and defense for the ruling Kuwaiti Al-Sabah dynasty from 1899 until independence in 1961. The small settlement grew into an important trading port by the early 1800s.

Arab Sheikh with his Falcon. Kuwait.

Kuwait city is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Kuwait. It has changed dramatically from its days as a mud-walled fishing village and center of the pearling trade. Graceful sailing ships called dhows once dotted its waters. Kuwait is the commercial, financial, and industrial heart of the country. Many Kuwaitis fled the city when the country was invaded. Those who remained suffered under the Iraqi occupation.

August 20, 1853, Nautical Standard

THE LOSS OF THE BOMBAY MAILS.

We have received the following account of the loss of the Arab shipFazl Kereem, with the outward English mails for Bombay of June 24, and almost the entire crew and passengers, amounting to 180 persons:

"The Peninsular and Oriental steamerHindostan, commanded by Captain Harris, the most zealous and efficient officer of that company's steam fleet in these sea, arrived at Aden, from Suez, at 3 p.m. of the 12th of July, as usual with that vessel, one day earlier than she was expected, bringing the home mails for Calcutta and Bombay of the 24th of June. The Bombay portion of these mails is not that for which the Indian Government has a contract with Her Majesty's Government to carry it by steam, consequently it is not obligatory upon the former to supply a, steamer for the purpose. However, when there nave been steamers sufficient at its disposal, the Bombay Government have generally ordered on0 for this service. The number of such vessels now,' and for a year past, employed at Burmah has precluded the possibility of such an arrangement during, this season, and, consequently sailing vessels have been appointed to do the duty. The Bombay mails, therefore, which arrived at Aden by the Precursor, on the 14th of June, from Suez, were despatched to their destination by the Hon. Company's sloop Elphinstone on the same day. On the 20th of June the Hon. Company's steamer Ajdaha left Bombay with the homewardbound mails, and it was calculated that she would have reached Aden by the 5th of July, and after delivering over her mails and passengers to the Hon. Company's steamer Akbar, which was to take them to Suez, be ready to return to Bombay with the home mails expected from Suez by the Hindostan. Unfortunately, the Ajdaha encountered very severe weather, and did not reach Aden till the afternoon of the 8th, having been obliged to burn all her spare spars and cables on the voyage. From the accounts given by the passengers, it appears that the vessel was frequently in the most critical positions, and when she arrived here it was found that she was in a most shattered condition, and, on examination, her rudder was discovered to be so completely rotten that the wonder is how she ever made Aden at all, and did not founder at sea.

"Such being the miserable plight of the Ajdaha it was impossible to send her to Bombay, and the only other vessel belonging to the Hon. Company in the Aden harbour available for the purpose was the small schooner Mahe. Had she been sent, the present disaster would, in all probability, have never occurred; but the reason assigned for not sending her was, the almost certainty that the Ajdaha would not be ready for sea by the time of the arrival of the Akbar with the contract mails from Suez, expected at Aden on the 26th of July.

" Under these circumstances, an Arab ship called the Fazl Kereem, which had a few days before ar - rived from Jiddah with a cargo of salt and pilgrims bound to Singapore, was engaged by the political agent to carry the mails to Bombay. It is not known whether she was properly surveyed before the engagement was entered into, but as no veto was placed upon the native commander against taking freight from Aden, he took an additional large cargo from that port, so that when she put to sea she was deep in the water, and carried in crew and pilgrim passengers, 191 persons.

Cape Aden. Mount Shamsham in the distance.

The Hindostan, as above stated, arrived from Suez on the 12th, coaled, and left on the 13th; but there being no steamer to tow out the Fazl Kereem, she remained in harbour till the evening of the 13th, when, a favourable wind occurring from the north east, she made sail and got clear of Cape Aden. Mr. Hankins was sent in charge of the mails. He was an acting master in the Indian Navy, the son of an English clergyman, and was supplied with a chronometer to aid the native commander in the navigation of the vessel.

"The Fasl Kereem left in one of those storms called by the Arabs a "Shamaul," which bring with them clouds of dust, completely filling the atmosphere, and making everything look gloomy and desolate. On sailing out of the harbour several of her sails were riven by the wind -- a sad presage of the fate which awaited that unfortunate ship! Many were the predictions in Aden that she would never reach her destination, for, even if she weathered the sea, it was firmly believed she would fail to make Bombay in her course. Some of the Aden residents so much anticipated an accident that they chose to send their letters to Bombay by the Hindostan, via Galle, and others detained them for a future and more promising opportunity. "

Only 11 out of 191 souls have lived to tell the fate of their doomed companions. Three of these have reached Aden, two pilgrims and a Lascar, and they state that on the morning after the ship left Aden, when she was only about 20 miles distant from that port, it was discovered that there were six feet of water in the hold. This alone, with an under cargo of salt, was sufficient to call forth the energy, and perhaps to baffle the stalwart strength of British seamen ; but the crew were poor miserable natives, and the passengers were chiefly Mussulmans, whose wretched doctrine of fatalism robbed them of their natural power. The witnesses speak most strongly of the efforts of poor Mr. Hankins, who urged the men to stand to the pumps and to clear the longboat; but it was all in vain. The spring butt (which appears to have been the cause of the disaster) gave admittance to the water, little or no effect was made to stay the progress of the drowning element, and in a few hours the vessel filled and went down bodily.

" Judging from the narrative of the witnesses, 10 of the men saved owed their lives to Mr. Hankins, since they managed to get into the longboat when the vessel foundered, a clear proof that something had been done through his exertions to loosen if from the davits. The other man was drifted to the shore on a plank.

''Whatever value or importance may be attached to such a misfortune as the loss of 68 boxes of mails, common humanity will allow that it is nothing compared to the dreadful sacrifice of human life. Mr. Hankins and 180 souls have by this fell disaster been hurried out of the world; and we hope that those to whose hands such matters are confided will be stirred by this sad event to make arrangements which will in future prevent similar untoward disasters.

"And this leads to the following remarks and suggestions,

"How comes it that the Ajdaha, after having been in dock for several months at Bombay, was so unseaworthy, and with a rudder so rotten that it had been found necessary to make an entirely new one for her in Aden? Had this steamer been in a fit state she would have been able to return with the mails, and the services of the Arab ship would not have been required.

"Why, failing the Ajdaha, was the Mahe' not sent with the mails? She has taken them before, why could she not have taken them again?"

But if the Mahe was detained for a future mail a contract mail, upon which so much more importance seems to be placed why were not the mails sent on by the Hindostah, vid Galle, whence they would have been taken on to Bombay by the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer, and would in all probability have reached there days before the Fazl Kereem? Why, we ask, was this not done, in preference to endangering the mails and so many lives in a wretched native craft?"

Saudi Arabia tried to occupy Kuwait in the early 1900s, but the ruling Al-Sabah Dynasty made Kuwait a protectorate of Great Britain instead. Before the discovery of oil of the 20th Century, most of the people lived in the old walled town of Kuwait, in mud and brick houses packed into winding alleyways. The people outside the town were Bedouin nomads, herders of camels, goats, and sheep.

Race Camels Walk to Kuwait Camel racing has a long history in Kuwait; it remains popular with Bedouin tribes. Races can be over 5km, and are held on Thursdays and Fridays. The main races are held at the Al-Atraf Camel Racing Club (539 4014) on Salmi Road (Road 604) west of Jahra.

Mark Daffey

Kuwait became independent in 1961 and has since become one of the wealthiest countries in the world as it has some of world's largest oil reserves.

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1899. World's Fleet. Boston Daily Globe

Lloyds Register of Shipping gives the entire fleet of the world as 28,180 steamers and sailing vessels, with a total tonnage of 27,673,628, of which 39 perent are British.

Great Britain	10,990 vessels, total tonnage of 10,792,714
United States	3,010 vessels, total tonnage of 2,405,887
Norway	2,528 vessels, tonnage of 1,604,230
Germany	1,676 vessels, with a tonnage of 2,453,334, in which are included her particularly large ships.
Sweden	1,408 vessels with a tonnage of 643, 527
Italy	1,150 vessels
France	1,182 vessels

For Historical Comparison
Top 10 Maritime Nations Ranked by Value (2017)

	Country	# of Vessels	Gross Tonnage (m)	Total Value (USDbn)
1	Greece	4,453	206.47	$88.0
2	Japan	4,317	150.26	$79.8
3	China	4,938	159.71	$71.7
4	USA	2,399	55.92	$46.5
5	Singapore	2,662	64.03	$41.7
6	Norway	1,668	39.68	$41.1
7	Germany	2,923	81.17	$30.3
8	UK	883	28.78	$24.3
9	Denmark	1,040	36.17	$23.4
10	South Korea	1,484	49.88	$20.1
Total		26,767	87.21	$466.9