Houses had simple and basic exterior designs, and most artistic touches were found on main doors and windows.
It is common to find central courts, as is the case in other Arab countries, that served as a gathering place for the families.
Later, during the 18th century, a typical Kuwait merchant house was built in the Ottoman style that reached the city from Basra.
[1] Lewis Pelly, a Political Resident, described Kuwait in the 1860s as: A clean, active town, with a broad and open main bazaar, and numerous solid stone dwelling houses stretching along this strand and containing some 20,000 inhabitants, attracting Arab and Persian merchants from all quarters by the equity of its rule and by the freedom of its trade.
Modern architecture in Kuwait is mostly in the International style, although there are several buildings that demonstrate a relationship with Middle Eastern themes.
[3] The National Assembly of Kuwait is also a landmark building, designed by the Danish architect Jørn Utzon and completed in 1972.