Armenians in Kuwait

[2] But after the Iraqi invasions, the numbers of the Armenians resident in Kuwait greatly diminished to just 500[2] as they left the country.

Among them were Nerses Shaghzoian, Ashot Babken, and Samuel Galoustian (in the early 1950s) and Hrair Hagopian (in the late 1950s) who had migrated from Iran.

The most famous Armenian presence in Kuwait came immediately after the rise of Arab nationalism in Syria and Egypt in the 1950s and the 1960s.

As a result of the Armenian genocide, many survivors were forced to first settle in the Levant including Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Iraq.

During the invasion, the Armenian school and church were shut down and guarded in order to stop looters from attacking the institutions.

The war also paved the way for a mass exodus of Kuwaiti-Armenians to North American countries such as Canada and the United States.

The school, the only foreign institution which is allowed to incorporate religion into its curriculum, now has nearly 300 students, and a staff of 25 full-time teachers, including 17 Armenians.