Structures dating back 2,300 discovered on Kuwait's Failaka Island

KUWAIT, Feb 16 (KUNA) -- The National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters (NCCAL) announced the discovery of a courtyard and building west of Al-Qurainiya site on Failaka Island, dating back 2,300 years to the Hellenistic period.
Acting Secretary-General for the Antiquities and Museums Sector at NCCAL Mohammad bin Redha stated to KUNA that the Kuwaiti-Italian archaeological mission made this discovery during its work at Al-Qurainiya site.
Al-Qurainiya is considered one of the most significant sites for archaeological excavation since 2014, which spans for multiple historical periods, from pre-Islamic times to the early and later Islamic periods, located in the northern part of Failaka Island, directly overlooking the sea.
Bin Redha highlighted the collaboration between NCCAL and the University of Perugia in Italy, under the supervision of the head of the Italian mission, Dr. Andrea Di Miceli.
On his part, Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology at Kuwait University Dr. Hasan Ashkanani emphasized that the discovery of a building dating back to the Hellenistic period is a significant archaeological achievement for Failaka Island.
He noted that this discovery suggests that the Hellenistic inhabitants may have used Al-Qurainiya site as a watchtower, port, or center in the northern part of Failaka Island, in addition to the settlements, fortress, and Hellenistic temples in the southern part of the island.
Head of the Italian mission Dr. Andrea Di Miceli stated that the focus of the 2025 excavation season will be on the western part of Al-Qurainiya settlement, which dates back to the pre-Islamic period.
In this area, remains of a courtyard and a building have been found, located outside the Islamic settlement and belonging to the Hellenistic period, he added.
Miceli also mentioned that excavations at Al-Qurainiya site between 2014 and 2020 uncovered several buildings of varying sizes and layouts, most of which were residential structures dating back to the early Islamic period.
The remains of Al-Qurainiya site include numerous limestone and mudbrick houses, along with pottery from different historical periods, making it one of the largest archaeological sites on Failaka Island. (end) shd.ahm