Day 6: The Grand Mosque and Diwaniyya

11pm -

!مرحباً

Another fascinating day here in Kuwait! This morning's class featured a guest speaker, Dr. Farah Al-Niqad, a history professor at AUK. She led a very interesting discussion about Kuwait in the context of the Arab Spring. Coincidently enough, she got her Masters and PHD from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), where I'll be studying abroad next spring! After class I talked to her about SOAS, and she told me about all the awesome things they offer there. I'm even more excited for next January!

What I learned this morning is that Kuwait was not really affected by the Arab Spring at all. Kuwait is so different from other Arab countries that were directly influenced by the Arab Spring because of its massive wealth, and its redistribution of that wealth to the people. Kuwait is also immensely different from other Arab states because it has had traces of democracy in its history since its founding in 1716. Kuwait has a ruling family (as opposed to a royal family) that was chosen by the people through consensus. The Al-Sabah family did not simply take power by force; but rather, they were given power by the people. In Kuwait's earliest years, decisions were made through consensus, and elements of this system remain intact even today. 

Walking back to the hotel, I had an interesting talk with Professor Bailey about Saudi Arabia. Dr. Farah talked about a viral video making its rounds this past weekend of a woman in Saudi Arabia who was harassed by the police in a mall for wearing nail polish. The video is essentially the woman yelling at police, telling them to leave her alone. I was surprised that women were even allowed to wear nail polish, and wondered why the police would be harassing her if it was legal in the first place. It turns out that all of these things I had assumed to be illegal (such as nail polish, western clothing, etc.) in Saudi Arabia are all perfectly fine...as long as they are in private. Saudi Arabia even has malls with Victoria's Secret, where women buy $100 rhinestone bras, skimpy lingerie, and scandalous dresses. All of these things are completely acceptable, as long as they are worn in the home. I asked then if, since all of these things are okay in private, why alcohol is still unacceptable to have in the home. Professor Bailey explained that there really is no substantial reasoning present. Some things are okay, some are forbidden, and that's just the way it is. Interestingly enough, the Gulf States are pretty much the only remaining countries that forbid alcohol. Many people believe that if places like Kuwait legalized alcohol, it could greatly boost its tourism, especially during the winter months when the country is a  beautiful and comfortable 70 degrees. 

Back to today - this afternoon we visited the Grand Mosque, which is the main mosque of Kuwait. Although it was absolutely incredible from the outside, we were unfortunately unable to go into the main part of the mosque (which is kind of the whole point) due to last-minute renovation from water damage. It was still a cool experience though. We put on traditional dress and took our shoes off to walk through the mosque.

I obviously didn't take this picture, but I wanted to
provide an idea of the grand mosque's massive
size and beauty!

Outside the Entrance

Traditional Dress - not the most flattering

Smile!

The space was absolutely stunning. We first entered an outdoor prayer area used for mass crowds (like during Ramadan). There were gorgeous light fixtures, and beautiful marble:

Outside area for praying

Our tour guide, Mazaid!

Shoe-holders

Next, we went into the second major area for praying, used daily by the population. Muslims pray five times each day, and those specific times change every day.

Stunning lanterns along each row

Beautiful wall tiling

Minbar where sermons are delivered

Mazaid demonstrating the prostration during prayer

We then went upstairs to where the women pray. Women and men pray separately, and our tour guide even joked that the women get a nicer room than the men. It was funny at first, but then I realized how strange this extreme gender segregation was to me.

Self-explanatory

Female prayer room

Qurans - we were not allowed to touch them

We finally ended the tour in the diwaniyya room. It was absolutely stunning, and had a glass case in the center with an original page from the Quran!

Diwaniyya room - absolutely gorgeous!

Page from the Quran

Close-up! 

Early Arabic script written on papyrus

Still stunning

Overall, it was quite an interesting experience to be in a mosque for the first time. I know we will be visiting more (hopefully) throughout the trip. I especially like how each mosque is very different from the outside - some are incredibly creative and every single one is so unique. 

Next, Mazaid brought us to visit an organization he volunteers at called AWARE: Advocates for Western Arab Relations. It not only provides services to foreigners visting/moving to Kuwait (such as Arabic classes and site visits), but it also establishes connections between Kuwaiti and American students to help them learn about one another and remove the stereotypes that they hold towards each other. It was a really neat place, and we'll probably be going back next week! Here's the link to their website, in case you're interested!

We then went to a diwaniyya, which was probably my favorite part of the day. One the way there, we passed through some very wealthy neighborhoods, and I snapped a few pictures of a traditional Kuwaiti "house." You'll see in a second why I put house in quotation marks.

Seriously?

Christmas lights?

This is ONE house for ONE family, apparently.

I especially love how the fence matches perfectly the house

Next, we arrived at the Diwaniyya. Diwaniyyas are where people from the community gather together, often in a large room with couches all along the walls, and talk about pretty much anything. They are usually all male, although there are some specifically for women. The one we went to was hosted by Mr. Abdulaziz Ahmad Al-Ghannam, who is a member of one of the wealthiest families in Kuwait. Although the diwaniyya was restricted to men, they made a special exception for our group. They could not have been more welcoming, and it was a great experience. The house was specifically designated for such meetings, and the main room was so beautiful. We were served delicious coffee and tea, and even met the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Kuwait (we're kind of a big deal)!

Diwaniyya room

Hoping to have this over my dining room table one day...

Snagged a picture with my tea when the men left to pray!

Wow...

We should be visiting another diwaniyya next Tuesday, and I can't wait! I think it may have been one of my favorite site visits so far. We grabbed a quick dinner with Mazaid on the way back to the hotel, and then called it a night. It was quite a jam-packed day!

I'll leave you with one last picture I took today: a 2-story McDonalds. Eric, don't get too excited.

Dad's worst nightmare