Also known as the Saida ruins, the Saida Village on the Failaka island is one of the least known archeological sites in Kuwait yet one of the most important ones. Due to its strategic position, Failaka has been continuously inhabited since the Bronze Age. Recent excavations revealed the discovery of the first mosque in the state of Kuwait located in the Saida village and dating back to the late Islamic era, specifically to the end of the seventeenth century. The excavations showed remains of religious and domestic buildings as well as large courtyard houses and small one-room buildings which are a fascinating glimpse into the inhabitant’s ancient lifestyle.
Saida village has a vast natural coast that was once a commercial harbor connecting the island with its neighbors. The remains on the site reveal traces of the ancient village in the form of old tombs and remnants of old foundations of buildings. Another important discovery on the site from 2001 is a rectangular mosque consisting of a qibla portico and an open eastern gallery on the courtyard of the mosque. The monument also includes a minaret. This is only archeological mosque ever discovered in Kuwait.
Another important element that existed in the Saida village was an old water well called “Gleb Boukaba” thus named because it had a dome above it. The well’s water was dedicated to visitors who came to see the Khedhr shrine.
Considered a wonderful Islamic heritage, all elements and monuments of the site still exist and have been preserved without change or restoration.