Kuwait Scientific Center
The Scientific Center of Kuwait, located in Salmiya, Kuwait, serves as a center for environmental education of the gulf region. Initiated by the late Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, KSC spans over 80,000 square meters with the building covering over 18,000 square meters. The center also houses the largest aquarium in the Middle East, holding over 100 different species of animals. Along with the aquarium, it also contains an IMAX theatre, a harbor of historic dhows, and a gift shop among other contents.
The Scientific Center, as it is locally referred to, is home to one of the largest aquariums in the Gulf region with the capacity of one of the tanks at 1.5 million liters. It also has coffee shops and a food court along with a walkway that shows the more scenic views of the coastline of Kuwait. The center also attracts hundreds of students each year on field trips, organized by schools and the Scientific Center. The aim of the Scientific Center is to spread awareness to the people of Kuwait and visitors alike about the different ecosystems of the region as well as the history of the country, while also encouraging the preservation of said goals.
Art and architecture
The building enclosure is filled with designs of Arabic calligraphy as well as Islamic art. Along with this, the walls literally have the history of Kuwait written on them. Its architecture is inspired by both the "old" mud-homes of Kuwait and the sail of a ship. The mud-home correlation is seen as the mud-colored ceramic used on the exterior of the building, while the mast is the top "roof" part of the building which is made of fabric similar to that of the sails of dhows, which are an important part of Kuwaiti history of pearl diving. The colors chosen were meant to create the atmosphere of the "desert" both inside and out, with the inside continuing on the theme of Kuwait's heritage and culture, built into the walls of the Scientific Center.
Facilities
The Scientific Center has three main sections; Aquarium, Discovery Place and IMAX theater.
The Aquarium is home to a 1.5 million liter tank full of different kinds of fish and sharks. Also, it has visual representations of the nature of the Kuwaiti desert, sea and the coastline's wildlife and marine life. There is also another 100,000-liter tank which holds different sharks and coral.
There, people are able to see different ships related to its history.