As part of our occasional series exploring various areas of Kuwait, Kuwait Times visited Industrial Shuwaikh to discover the main features of this area. Industrial Shuwaikh is located in the Capital governorate near Kuwait City. The area is known as an industrial hub as many manufacturers can be found in this area, along with Shuwaikh Port.

The area also has hundreds of car repair shops and garages, media offices and printing presses, blacksmithing and carpentry shops and shops selling all kinds of hardware, paint, building materials, etc.

Along with the older, industrizlied parts of Shuwaikh, a newer, hipster area is flourishing. Several boutique shopping complexes flush with hip coffee houses and art galleries have also sprung up in the area.

Mixed with the smell of oil and paint and heavy trucks trundling down the narrow lanes, one can find luxury vehicles driven by young, fashionably-dressed people. The juxtaposition of these scenes in an industrial zone can sometimes seem jarring.

Latifa Al-Rasheed, a student at Kuwait University, told Kuwait Times that new complexes and cafes that have opened in this area attract a number of young people because of their modern decor and unique ambience. "The area also has galleries that showcase art and recycled pieces," she added.

Another visitor to the area, Fawaz Al-Ahmad, expressed displeasure over the crowds on Canada Dry Street. He said Industrial Shuwaikh is full of businesses and is an active area where everyone - old or young.

Heavy traffic is common during the day and increasingly at night in some hotspots of Industrial Shuwaikh.

By Faten Omar