Failaka, the ruins left by war on an island with a Greek past in Kuwait

Failaka Island is the longest-inhabited territory in Kuwait, dating back to ancient Mesopotamia.

The shattered remains of Saddam Hussein's Iraqi army on Failaka Island, Kuwait
The ruins of the lost civilization of Lycia, which inspired today's US democracy

This island was colonized by the Greeks during the time of Alexander the Great, who named it "Icarus" because of its similarity to a Greek island of that name. In fact, the island's name derives from an ancient Greek word, fylakio, meaning "outpost." In the Early Middle Ages, the island was populated by Nestorian Christians. In 1990, the island had about 2,000 inhabitants, who were expelled by the Iraqis after the invasion of Kuwait carried out that year on the orders of dictator Saddam Hussein.

The Iraqis filled the island with landmines and used it as a firing range. During the Gulf War, Allied forces bombed the island to force the invaders to surrender. After the war, the island was demined but continued to be used as a military exercise site, but this time by Kuwait and its Western allies. Many buildings on the island remain in ruins.

As you may recall, a few weeks ago the YouTube channel Exploring the Unbeaten Path published a video showing Iraqi military vehicles from the invasion period on this island. On March 23, the same channel published a second video exploring the ruins of this island:

You can see some screenshots from the video here. We start with a ruined building, possibly the result of a bombing raid. Many buildings on the island bear marks from bullets of various calibers, as seen in the video. Some of these marks are from post-war military exercises.

An abandoned bullet belt on Failaka Island. I don't know its origin, although in this case it is blank ammunition, so it may have been abandoned during a military exercise.

An abandoned American car in a house in Failaka. In the video, you can see the inside of one of the houses, with typical Arabic decorations.

An abandoned power plant. It is, without a doubt, one of the most impressive ruins on the island. You can see it at the end of the video.