Al-Qurayn

Al-Qurain, also known as Kuwait, stands beside a sheltered bay at the northwestern end of the Gulf. Its harbour opens towards the sea routes of Arabia, Persia and India, while the desert behind it leads towards Iraq and the Arabian interior. Fishing, pearl diving and the movement of goods by sea gave the settlement its livelihood and its connections to neighbouring ports.

The Utub settled at Kuwait around the turn of the eighteenth century, and by 1710 a traveller described a town with towers and buildings comparable to those of al-Ahsa. Families of the Utub developed the port's commerce, and the Al Sabah emerged as its rulers during the eighteenth century. Ships carried goods between the Gulf, India and the approaches to Mesopotamia, while pearling crews worked the waters offshore. The names al-Qurain and Kuwait were both used for the harbour town.