Prof. Al-Mailem: We commend the creative efforts of Kuwait University students, which have added a contemporary cultural dimension to the “Al-Bait Al-Oud” project and contributed to highlighting Kuwait City’s architectural identity in an innovative manner.

The President of Kuwait University, Prof. Dina Musaed Al-Mailem, visited the exhibition “Gateway to Al-Bait Al-Oud – The Virtual City of Kuwait Project (1951)”, inaugurated by the Acting Dean of the College of Architecture, Dr. Adel Al-Mumen, at The Avenues Mall. During the visit, she reviewed the details and various phases of the project and expressed her admiration for its high level of creativity and artistic quality, as well as its cultural and cognitive value, which has been documented to preserve the urban memory of the State of Kuwait. She praised the creative efforts of Kuwait University students, whose work added a contemporary cultural dimension to the “Al-Bait Al-Oud” project and contributed to presenting Kuwait City’s architectural identity in an innovative way.

The visit came in the context of an academic and documentary project supervised by Dr. Abdulmutalib Faisal Al-Ballam, which aims to revive the features of old Kuwait City and reintroduce them through a contemporary scientific vision that reflects the city’s architectural, social, and cultural dimensions.

The “Gateway to Al-Bait Al-Oud” exhibition is considered one of the pioneering projects launched nearly fifteen years ago. It seeks to reconstruct Kuwait City as it was in 1951, using computer technologies and three-dimensional modeling, offering an interactive experience that evokes the memory of place and documents the urban landscape of a pivotal period in the city’s history.

The project focuses on reconstructing the city’s alleys and open courtyards as essential elements of the architectural and social fabric of old Kuwait City. These spaces once formed the core of daily life and served as gathering and interaction points among residents. The project also documents public squares, roads, natural topography, residential and commercial buildings, and architectural landmarks, with meticulous attention to detail and historical accuracy.

Approximately 150 male and female students from the Department of Architecture participated in the implementation of the project as part of an extended educational experience spanning several years. The project combined historical research, urban analysis, and technical application, contributing to deepening students’ understanding of Kuwait City’s identity and urban development, while linking academic knowledge with spatial and collective memory.

The project also relied on extensive consultations with historians, heritage specialists, and individuals who lived through the era of old Kuwait City. This approach enabled the accurate reconstruction of the city in a manner that authentically reflects its architectural features and everyday life during that period.

The “Gateway to Al-Bait Al-Oud” project offers an integrated experience that brings together architecture, technology, and memory reconstruction. It redraws the city as it was lived and experienced by its people, preserving its urban details as an essential part of Kuwait’s historical legacy.