"Fahaheel used to be Kuwait's southern gateway," said Kuwaiti heritage researcher Hussein Al-Qattan, adding that as one of the districts of Ahamdi governorate, Fahaheel is an ancient commercial center and a farming area where plenty of groundwater exists. He added it was a village located 25 miles to the south of Kuwait City and four miles from Ahmadi. He said Fahaheel initially covered an area of 11.5 sq m and that it was famous for growing palm and Sidr trees, vegetables and watermelon. Some of its residents also used to dive for pearls.

Qattan explained that the word 'Fahaheel' is the plural of the word 'fahhal' - the male palm tree - which was abundantly planted in the village and from which it acquired its name. Qattan said the village used to be surrounded by a small wall built in the aftermath of the Al-Jahra battle in 1920 during the reign of the late Amir Sheikh Salem Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, who provided all the needed material to build the wall and its two gates. The wall also included several observation towers. It was torn down in the mid-1950s after the oil boom and urban expansion. Qattan noted that in view of its growth following the Al-Sareef battle in 1901, many Kuwaiti families left the city and moved southwards to live in Fahaheel. - KUNA