Podcasts Culture Adventures with G: The Cloth Souq (Souq Safat)

Adventures with G: The Cloth Souq (Souq Safat)

Published: Feb. 12, 2019, 5 a.m.

In this episode, Ghadah and I talk about our trip to the Cloth Souq and why it’s one of the places we love in Kuwait.

From the variety of colors and textures to the creative window displays, the Cloth Souq is a terrific place to wander around and be inspired.

In addition to the goods that are being sold there, the architecture is also something to be admired.

Built in the mid-1970s, Souq Safat (the complex that houses the different branches of the Cloth Souq), is an example of extensive in-situ concrete works. One of the main features of the market was its underground parking, which was revolutionary at that time.

My father, architect Kamal Bhuiyan, was the on-site supervisor for the architectural restoration and renovation of Souq Safat after it was damaged in the 1991 war. He shares some of his observations of the market from an architectural perspective, some of which are mentioned in the episode, along with other points that will be further explored in a future episode.