Kuwait Entertainment City
29°20′53″N 47°49′00″E / 29.347981°N 47.816577°E
 The Tornado ride within the park | |
| Location | Doha, Al Asimah, Kuwait |
|---|---|
| Opened | 14 March 1984 |
| Closed | 6 June 2016 (temporarily) |
| Operated by | Touristic Enterprises Company |
| Website | Official website |
Kuwait Entertainment City (Arabic: مدينة الكويت الترفيهية) is an amusement park located in the western outskirts of Kuwait City, the capital of Kuwait. It first opened on 14 March 1984[1] and is one of several entertainment properties run by the Kuwait-based Touristic Enterprises Company. Some of the park's attractions, such as its large Bolliger & Mabillard inverted roller coaster and its 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge[2] railway, are common features in large-scale amusement parks in the United States, but are very rare in amusement parks in the Middle East. Starting on 6 June 2016, the park temporarily closed for renovations.[3] By July 2020, the park was under demolishment. [4]
Sections
The Arab World
International World
The Future World
Provincial Garden
Roller coasters
| Name | Manufacturer | Opened | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flying Dragon[5] | Zierer | 2007 | Force - One model |
| Lightning[6] | Bolliger & Mabillard | 2004 | Inverted model with five inversions; only B&M in the Middle East as of 2013[7] |
| Oasis Express[8] | Schwarzkopf | 1984 | Custom layout |
Railway
Kuwait Entertainment City's narrow gauge railway and original train were built by the US-based company Crown Metal Products in the 1980s with a track gauge of 3 ft (914 mm).[9] The railway continues to operate, but now uses a train built by the UK-based company Severn Lamb. The locomotive is one of their 4-4-0 Lincoln models custom-built to fit on 3 ft (914 mm) gauge track (the Lincoln model is normally built for 2 ft (610 mm) gauge track).[10]
Iraqi military occupation
Kuwait Entertainment City has been open every year since its inaugural season, except for the period during and after Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait beginning in 1990. From 1990 to 1991, Iraqi Forces took many of the park's rides and shipped them back to Iraq, while also pillaging and vandalizing the park's property.[11] Many of the stolen rides, including the park's Crown Metal Products locomotive and train cars, ended up in Al Zawra’a Dream Park, located in Downtown Baghdad.[12] After Iraqi forces were driven out of Kuwait and decisively defeated during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the park began the process of recovery. It reopened to the public in 1994 until it closed for renovations on 6 June, 2016. Under demolishment as of July 2020, it is not clear if and when the park will ever reopen resembling its original form.
See also
References
- ^ Roller Coaster Database - Kuwait Entertainment City
- ^ Steamlocomotive.info - Kuwait Entertainment City
- ^ https://rcdb.com/5128.htm
- ^ https://248am.com/mark/kuwait/entertainment-city-getting-completely-demolished/
- ^ Roller Coaster Database - Flying Dragon
- ^ Roller Coaster Database - Lightning
- ^ Roller Coaster Database - Bolliger & Mabillard
- ^ Roller Coaster Database - Oasis Express
- ^ "Crown Metal Products Locomotive Roster". Trainweb.
- ^ "Lincoln model". Severn Lamb.
- ^ Los Angeles Times - Rides Silent at Kuwaiti Park Iraqis Trashed, 27 March 1991
- ^ Steamlocomotive.info - Al Zawra’a Dream Park