1,400-year-old well from pre-Islamic era discovered on Failaka Island
The discovery of the ancient well, distinguished by its large size and flowing water, is located within the courtyard of a large house dating back to the 7th and 8th centuries AD.
• The ancient well was discovered during ongoing Kuwaiti-Slovakian excavations in Al-Qusur, a major Failaka Island site with relics from pre-Islamic to late Islamic eras.
The National Council for Culture, Arts, and Letters announced the discovery of an ancient well on Failaka Island, dating back to the pre-Islamic and early Islamic eras, distinguished by its large size and flowing water, Al Qabas newspaper reported.
The council’s Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Antiquities and Museums, Mohammed bin Redha, told KUNA that the discovery is located within the courtyard of a large house dating back to the 7th and 8th centuries AD. Additionally, rock foundations of a building adjacent to the well were found, along with evidence of a massive wall surrounding the courtyard, house, and well, as well as pottery remains dating back 1,300 to 1,400 years, representing the pre-Islamic period and its early Islamic transition.
Bin Redha explained that this discovery is part of ongoing excavations by the Kuwaiti-Slovakian archaeological mission, which began in 2019 in the Al-Qusur area. This site, one of the largest archaeological locations on Failaka Island, contains relics from various periods, spanning from pre-Islamic times to the early and late Islamic eras.
Dr. Hassan Ashkanani, Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology at Kuwait University, described this as one of the most significant archaeological discoveries on Failaka Island.
Ashkanani noted that the find, dating back to the Christian era and the advent of Islam, highlights the island’s cultural activity during that time. He also revealed the discovery of more than five kilograms of precious stones, including rubies and purple amethysts, reflecting the nature of the island’s economic activity 1,400 years ago.
The head of the Slovak mission, Dr. Matej Rutkay, stated that the 2025 excavation season will focus on the northern part of the Qusur settlement, where remains of a courtyard and a house, believed to have belonged to a wealthy individual of that era, were previously discovered.
Rutkay told KUNA that the site spans 38 meters in length and 34 meters in width, with the house covering an area of 97 square meters. The newly discovered water well measures 4.5 meters in length and four meters in width and is located next to a water channel.
Al-Qusur is one of the most significant and largest archaeological sites on Failaka Island, extending approximately two kilometers from east to west and reaching about one kilometer inland to the south.
Excavations have uncovered the foundations of churches and numerous houses built from limestone and mud bricks, along with gypsum materials, precious stones, and pottery from various historical periods.
