The Kuwaiti National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) announced an archaeological discovery on Failaka Island: a courtyard and building dating back approximately 2,300 years to the Hellenistic period, according to Al-Rai.
The find was made by a Kuwaiti-Italian archaeological mission at the Al-Qurainiya site, which has been a focal point for archaeological research since 2014. Located in the northern part of Failaka Island overlooking the sea, the site is a settlement that spans multiple historical periods, including pre-Islamic, early Islamic, and late Islamic eras.
The excavation team uncovered rock foundations, an internal wall, and an entrance connecting the external courtyard to a room. Inside the room, they found remains of plastered walls and numerous pottery pieces over 2,000 years old.
Mohammad bin Redha, the Acting Assistant Secretary-General of the Council for Antiquities and Museums, emphasized that the oldest layer at this site dates back to the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE, confirming it is one of the largest archaeological sites on Failaka Island. "The remains at the Al-Qurainiya site include many residences built of limestone, mud bricks, and pottery from different time periods," he said, according to arkeonews.net.
The work at Al-Qurainiya has been carried out in collaboration between the Council and the University of Perugia in Italy, under the supervision of Dr. Andrea Di Michele. "The newly discovered courtyard and building indicate the extension of Hellenistic presence to include the northern part of Failaka Island," said Di Michele.
Dr. Hassan Ashkanani, a professor of archaeology and anthropology at Kuwait University, confirmed that the discovery of a building dating back to the Hellenistic period is a significant archaeological achievement for Failaka Island. He pointed out that artifacts related to the Hellenistic period, previously discovered, were concentrated in the southwest of the island, specifically in Tell Said. "The newly discovered structures suggest a broader Hellenistic presence, indicating that the Al-Qurainiya site may have served as a watch point, port, or center, in addition to the residences, castle, and Hellenistic temples in the southern part," Ashkanani noted, according to Arab Times.
Other excavations at Al-Qurainiya have revealed stages from the early and late Islamic periods, indicating human settlement in the area for long, intermittent periods extending over more than 1,800 years. From 2014 to 2020, excavations uncovered buildings at the site, primarily dwellings from the eighth century CE, during the early Islamic period.
The findings suggest that the Al-Qurainiya site was abandoned by the end of the eighth century or the beginning of the ninth century but saw renewed human activity from the second half of the 18th century until the early decades of the 20th century. The discovery of large quantities of pottery and ovens at Al-Qurainiya provides valuable insights into the daily lives of the site's inhabitants.
The remains of the Al-Qurainiya site span approximately 500 meters from east to west along the coastline and extend 250 meters inland to the south. Outside the Islamic settlement, remains of a courtyard and building dating back to the Hellenistic period have been found.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.