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Al Jahra () is a city and
area Area is the measure of a region's size on a surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an open surface or the boundary of a three-di ...
located west of the centre of
Kuwait City Kuwait City (; ) is the capital and largest city of Kuwait. Located at the heart of the country on the south shore of Kuwait Bay on the Persian Gulf, it is the political, cultural and economic center of the emirate, containing Kuwait's Seif Pal ...
in
Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
. Al Jahra is the capital of the
Al Jahra Governorate Jahra Governorate ( ) is one of the six Governorates of Kuwait, governorates of Kuwait. It is the largest Governorate in Kuwait accounting for 63 percent of its land area. It includes the town of Al Jahra, most of the northern and western parts ...
of Kuwait as well as the surrounding Al Jahra District which is agriculturally based.
Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...
recorded the population in 1980 as 67,311. Historically, Jahra was a predominantly agricultural area. There are currently various farms in Jahra.


Climate

Al Jahra has a hot desert climate and is one of the hottest places on earth. On 22 July 2016 a temperature of 52.9 °C was recorded.


History

Al Jahra was once largely dominated by agricultural land. Jahra was initially founded as a small oasis village. Jahra's most notable residents included Sheikh Thuwainy Bin Abdullah Al-Saadoun (Sheikh of
Al-Muntafiq Al-Muntafiq () was a large Arab tribal confederation of southern Iraq and Kuwait. The confederation's tribes predominantly settled in Iraq's southern provinces and northern Kuwait. The confederation is not homogeneous in terms of sect/religion. ...
) in 1786, when he fled from Baghdad to Suleiman Pasha. He wanted to occupy Basra and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Sabah hosted him until he returned to Baghdad after he was pardoned by the Iraqi governor. In 1925, Al Jahra administratively followed Kuwait City, and the population lived on the cultivation of palm trees and a little wheat and barley. Al Jahra contained 170 houses including the palace of Pasha al-Naqib and the palace of the Mubarak Al-Sabah. Historically Jahra became known as a notable trading point and stopping place on the way to Kuwait City. It gradually grew into a town along the historic
Kuwait Red Fort The Kuwait Red Fort () is a historic Kuwaiti palace and museum that lies about 32 kilometres west of Kuwait City in Al-Jahra. The fort was the location of the Battle of Jahra in 1920.Battle of Jahra The Battle of Jahra occurred on 10 October 1920 during the Kuwait–Najd War, pitting Sheikh Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Salem Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, the ruler of Kuwait, against the Ikhwan forces led by Faisal al-Duwaish, the sheikh of the Mutayr t ...
in 1920, a conflict between Kuwaiti and Saudi forces. Today, there is a national monument commemorating the battle. The conflict was settled in 1922 when King Abdul Aziz al-Saud recognized the independence of Kuwait in exchange for territory.


Gulf War

During the
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
, the outskirts of Al Jahra was also the site of an infamous shootout with the Allied destruction of a stalled Iraqi convoy as it retreated up Mutla Ridge on Highway 80 between 25 and 26 February 1991. The US Army received orders by General
Norman Schwarzkopf Jr Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. ( ; 22 August 1934 – 27 December 2012) was a United States Army general. While serving as the commander of United States Central Command, he led all Coalition of the Gulf War, coalition forces in the Gulf War ...
. to not let anybody in or out of Kuwait City and to effectively blockade the retreating Iraqi convoys within a 100-mile (160-km) radius. He ordered the dispatching of
Apache helicopter The Hughes/McDonnell Douglas/Boeing AH-64 Apache ( ) is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. Nose-mounted sensors help acquire targets and provide night vis ...
s armed with anti-tank missiles to block the Iraqis. Schwarzkopf commented in 1995 on the military action:


Fires

A number of damaging fires have been known to have occurred in recent times in Al Jahra. On 25 August 2007, politician Massouma al-Mubarak was forced to resign from her post as health minister following a fire in a hospital which killed two patients. On 15 August 2009 a fire broke out at a wedding in Al Jahra. At least 49 people were killed and about 80 others wounded when the grooms' wife, sought revenge for her husband's second marriage, poured petrol on a tent where women and children were celebrating and set it on fire. Within three minutes the whole tent was engulfed in flames, trapping many inside. It was the deadliest civilian disaster in Kuwait in the last 40 years.


Notable people

Mohammed Emwazi Mohammed Emwazi (born Muhammad Jassim Abdulkarim Olayan al-Dhafiri; ; 17 August 1988 – 12 November 2015) was a British militant of Kuwaiti origin seen in several videos produced by the Islamist extremist group Islamic State (IS) showing ...
- (1988 – 2015), was a British militant of Kuwaiti origin seen in several videos produced by the Islamist extremist group
Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...
(IS) showing the beheadings of a number of captives in 2014 and 2015.


Transport

Al Jahra is located north-west of Kuwait City and is connected by a series of ring roads. Highway 80 connects the town to Abdaly on the Iraqi border. The highway has become known as "The Highway of Death" due to its involvement in the Gulf War when the Allied troops destroyed an Iraqi convoy. The road was repaired during the late 1990s and was used in the initial stages of the 2003 invasion of Iraq by U.S. and British forces. The surrounding area is desert but tents are often seen located along the highway. The nearest airport is at
Kuwait International Airport Kuwait International Airport (, ) is an international airport located in the Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait, south of the centre of Kuwait City, spread over an area of . As of 2024 it is the 11th busiest airport in the Middle East. It serves a ...
.


Sport

The main football team is
Al Jahra (football club) Al Jahra Sporting Club () is a Kuwaiti professional football club based in Jahra. They won the Kuwaiti Premier League once, in 1990. Al Jahra reached the Kuwait Emir Cup final twice in recent times, 1996 and 2002, where they lost to Al Arabi ...
. They play at the 25,000 capacity Al Shabab Mubarak Alaiar Stadium. They won the
Kuwaiti Premier League The Kuwait Premier League (), known as Zain Premier League due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Kuwait football pyramid system. Formed in 1961, Kuwait SC holds the best record in the competition, having won 20 times. History Th ...
once, in 1990. They participated in the Kuwaiti Premier League 21 times during the 2007-2008 season. Al Jahra has reached the
Kuwait Emir Cup The Kuwait Amir/Emir Cup () is a Kuwaiti football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ...
Final twice in 1996 and 2002 when they lost to Al Arabi 1-2 and Kuwait Club 0-1 respectively.


References


External links

{{Authority control Populated places in Kuwait