By Sarah Al-Mukhaizeem
KUWAIT, Nov 10 (KUNA) -- Situated west of the Seif Palace, Al-Fordah port was considered one of the main seaports responsible for exporting and importing goods and other materials.
The port also had an adjacent market also called Al-Fordah, "the old markets of Kuwait", a book authored by Mohammad Abdulhadi Jamal said.
In the early hours of the morning, ships used to unload goods which were to be sold at the market. Most goods consisted of consumer products, home appliances, and poultry. The seaport also acted as an export point for Kuwaiti products.
Wind-powered wooden ships and boats continued to dock at the seaport until the era of the Amir Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah in which commercial steamboats began to appear on horizon.
After the signing of the protection treaty between Great Britain and Kuwait in 1899, steamboats coming from Bombay to the Gulf region began to dock in Kuwait -- specifically in Al-Fordah seaport -- once every two weeks.
This transformed the seaport into an integral location for business and commerce in Kuwait.
From World War II onwards, Al-Fordah seaport was expanded on numerous occasions to accommodate the increase in Kuwait's commercial and business activities.
With the rapid development of infrastructure in Kuwait, Al-Fordah seaport and its market began to lose prominence; however, the memories of the place still lives in the minds and hearts of the older generation of Kuwaitis. (end) sm.gta