Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Cultural Center, a civilized beacon in Kuwait

Abdullah Al-Salem Cultural Center (ASCC)

Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Cultural Center (ASCC) has attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors since its establishment, solidifying the cultural movement in Kuwait and becoming one of the country’s scientific and cultural monuments.

ASCC, which opened in February 2018, has attracted over 580,000 visitors as of March 2020, affirming its high status on the cultural arena as one of Kuwait’s latest intellectual-educational beacon. The center has organized 88 activities, which ranged from exhibitions, lectures and workshops to festivals, camps and plays, touching on interests of different segments of the society.

Around 500 international organizations visited ASCC, which was also keen on establishing partnerships with embassies and similar international agencies. ASCC held cultural and scientific workshops about rocks, recycling, plants and energy sources among others, a camp for children during Ramadan, summer camps, space academy, Eid festivals and events in the Planetarium. ASCC participated in two events abroad, the first was in Venice, Italy, in 2019, and the second was last October in Berlin, Germany.

The center won the prestigious ABB LEAF award as the Public Building of the year 2018, as well as four international awards. ASCC, named after late Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, is situated on the seaside Arabian Gulf Road and was built in the same place where Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem High School, one of Kuwait first government schools.

ASCC, occupying 127,000 square meters with a parking lot for 1,231 cars, consists of eight buildings, six museums, one conference hall and documents’ facility. The center, which has 25 water fountains, comprises 22 display halls with over 1,100 pieces of relics and unique items. The center, built in 20 months, consists of many facilities like theaters, green areas, gift shops, restaurants, coffee shops and outdoor sitting areas. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Theater hosts local and international events, in addition to specialized conferences and exhibitions. It is designed to trigger inspiration for exhibitors, artists and students. The six family-friendly exhibitions depict historic, cultural, intellectual, scientific and technological worlds.

One exhibition enlightens visitors about the natural world for better comprehension of ecosystems and how they influence development of biodiversity of in the planet over millions of years. The exhibition enables visitors to explore Southeast Asia’s rainforests and see how mangroves help the ecology. Visitors can dive into an underwater wonderland and witness the wildlife, particularly in Kuwait. The visitors can also test their skills in the exhibition’s interactive displays and learn about how humans can keep the coastal community alive and help sustain the planet. In the “Our Earth” museum, the visitors are welcomed into the world of the dinosaurs.

They see the amazing reptiles and mammals that lived on earth up to 65 million years ago and also be bedazzled at the size of the huge creatures that inhabited Kuwait’s prehistoric seas, how did they sound? What did they eat? The exhibition allows visitors to become paleontologists for the day in the Dino Lab and try to unearth their own dinosaur. Visitors will see the world of geology and geography come alive as they delve below the earth’s crust to its fiery core. How does Kuwait’s industry and climate affect the world and how can we affect changes in the environment, at home and in the community to ensure a cleaner, greener planet.

The Transportation and Robots museum display how through centuries transportation has taken people from elementary hot air balloons to jet engines, horse-drawn carriages to cars and small boats to oil tankers. Learn about Kuwait’s maritime heritage and its long history of boat building. Also in the exhibition, visitors could meet the resident Giant Robot and discover the latest ways robotic technology is assisting humans. Visitors are welcomed to the demonstration area to learn about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and interact with robots, or learn about basic scientific processes in the Experiment Gallery.

Innovators will enjoy the Maker Space where creative ideas and scientific innovation is encouraged. Visitors can get acquainted at the Human Body and Mind Museum with how human body and mind work, their secrets and will realize how the brain act as super-computers with encapsulating exhibits explain how the brain and body work in tandem. The importance of health becomes clear when visitors learn how human bodies are tested when under attack. Through a 4D show, the interactive character Kashef enlightens audiences to the marvels of the body’s indefatigable defense mechanisms.

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