Comments on: Kuwait City - Kuwait Towers

Kuwait City - Kuwait Towers

zpousman — Thu, 20 Mar 2003 16:25:58 -0800

Wonder about those towers behind Wolf Blitzer? I have, as I'm sure you have, seen a lot of the three sculptural towers behind the various newscasters transmitting from Kuwait City. They're quite beautiful -- award winning -- water towers (holding 4500 cubic meters). Built in 1979 by swedes, they are the largest and most visible part of a 100,000 cubic meter water storage system, which also includes the mushrooms along the beaches.

By: dong_resin

dong_resin — Thu, 20 Mar 2003 16:34:00 -0800

"dong! The calls are coming from inside your own head! GET OUT! GET OUT OF THERE NOW!" Heh. Cool post, Zpousman.

By: bshort

bshort — Thu, 20 Mar 2003 16:37:08 -0800

Great post, zpousman! I had just always assumed they served some sort of religous purpose.

By: Pretty_Generic

Pretty_Generic — Thu, 20 Mar 2003 16:38:29 -0800

I read that the Iraqis tried desparately to destroy them in the last war, but they were too strongly built. They were still standing when the Iraqis made their exit.

By: matteo

matteo — Thu, 20 Mar 2003 17:01:02 -0800

I have a tendency to worry more about Wolf Blitzer's background as Jonathan Pollard apologist and Pentagon hatchet man but the tower thing's interesting, too

By: scarabic

scarabic — Thu, 20 Mar 2003 19:07:58 -0800

I've been up in the one with the 2 spheres. It's got a rotating restaurant in the upper one. There's actually a stationary disc in the center of the chamber, and a perimeter outide it that rotates. I remember (as a kid of about 12) standing right on the seam in the floor, and being spun around in place. Pretty nifty. The food was terrible, though, as I recall. Low-grade refrigerated cafeteria-style crap. Probably because not that many people visit. There are actually dozens of massive water towers all around Kuwait, all of various designs and impressive volume. I guess that's what you have to do when you have no native fresh water and no geography. No such thing as a reservoir in the mountains...

By: pejamo

pejamo — Thu, 20 Mar 2003 19:31:19 -0800

very much reminds of this horrific thing on Interstate 80 at the Utah/Nevada bordrer. I spent a few perplexed minutes trying to make sense of that thing. But $4.99 prime rib beckoned just across the border, so I moved on.

By: Kevs

Kevs — Thu, 20 Mar 2003 21:28:06 -0800

The Middle East is filled with fantastic architecture. The famous Burj al Arab "sail" hotel in Dubai is my favorite, and a building in Riyadh won an award for best skyscraper of 2002.

By: hob

hob — Thu, 20 Mar 2003 22:04:30 -0800

say "Pollard apologist" three times fast, I dare you ;) great post.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Thu, 20 Mar 2003 22:28:52 -0800

Anyone who likes water towers - or other industrial photography - should check the work of German photog couple Bernd and Hilla Becher. Their book Water Towers has tons of beautiful pix.