Not to miss

Failaka Island

Kuwait's main archaeological site, Failaka is definitely worth a visit, though it requires a bit of extra caution. The Iraqis turned Failaka into a heavily fortified base and filled the area with mines. Failaka's history goes back to the Bronze Age Dilmun civilisation, then centred in Bahrain.

The Greeks arrived in the 4th century BC in the form of a garrison sent by Nearchus, one of Alexander the Great's admirals. Previously a minor settlement, it was as the Greek town of Ikaros that the settlement became a real city with a temple centrepiece.

Al-Jahra

Al-Jahra, 32km (20mi) west of Kuwait City, is where invading troops from Saudi Arabia were defeated (with British help) in 1920. The town's only conventional site is the Red Fort, a low, rectangular mud structure near the highway, that played a key role in the 1920 battle.

Al-Jahra was also the site of the Gulf War's infamous 'turkey shoot' - the Allied destruction of a stalled Iraqi convoy as it slowly retreated up Mutla Ridge. The highway and surrounding desert are now completely clear of evidence, picked over by scrap-metal dealers and dubious souvenir hunters.

Red Fort

Also known as the Red Palace, the Red Fort is a low rectangular mud structure near the highway, its name apparently deriving from the colour of its walls. Built around a large open courtyard with several annexes on its western side, the fort played a key role in the unsuccessful 1920 siege of Al-Jahra by the future king of Saudi Arabia.

Oil Display Centre

The oil display centre is a well-organised and self-congratulatory introduction to the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) and the country's oil business. It's located in Al-Ahmadi, built to house Kuwait's oil industry in the 1940s and 50s and named for the then emir, Sheikh Ahmed.

Failaka Island

The home of Kuwait's main archaeological site, Failaka is definitely worth a visit. However, bear in mind that the Iraqis made Failaka into a heavily fortified base and filled the area with mines and, although these have been cleared, caution should still be taken. There are plans to turn the island into a luxurious holiday resort for tourists.

Failaka's history goes back to the Bronze Age Dilmun civilisation, which was centred in Bahrain. The Greeks arrived in the 4th century BC in the form of a garrison sent by Nearchus, one of Alexander the Great's admirals.

A small settlement existed on the island prior to this, but it was as the Greek town of Ikaros that the settlement became a real city. The Greeks lived on Failaka for two centuries. The centrepiece of the island is its temple.