This medieval Arab city, capital of the eastern country and true gem of the Arabian Peninsula, Kuwait City rose from the desert lands, shining like a star in the black night sky when large oilfields were discovered here. This ancient Muslim country, where they still honor the traditions of their ancestors, proudly preserving their culture and strictly following the religious canons, directed its eyes towards Western civilization. There have been great investments in large-scale cultural projects, design and architecture, and contemporary art development. In place of one-floor city buildings, giant skyscrapers sprang one after another, reflecting in its mirror surface the blue sky with snow-white clouds. The off-beat futuristic buildings, whose shapes win every Kuwait traveler’s heart, have repeatedly become subjects of high-profile publications on architecture. And in 2011, the famous Al Hamra Tower conquered the whole world and topped the list of Kuwait’s tallest buildings.

The hallmark of Kuwait and the symbol of the entire country is a product of the zealous work of talented architects from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. This very firm once gave Dubai the famous Burj Khalifa. The asymmetrical shape of Al Hamra resembles a cool woman’s dress that waves in the breeze. Such structure was designed not only for aesthetic enjoyment but also for a functional aspect. Thanks to its unique silhouette, each room of the tower offers a 360-degree view of the capital. Seventy-seven floors of the 414-meter-high building are occupied by a huge shopping mall with an area of 23,000 square meters, a cinema and fitness center, a restaurant, and 11 parking floors. In seconds, eight high-speed top-of-the-line elevators deliver apartment residents and employees to offices that occupy most of the skyscraper. The fantastic design of the Al Hamra Tower won numerous international awards, from the Bronze Unbuilt Project of the architectural biennale in 2007 in Miami to the American Architecture Award in 2008 in Chicago.