深度旅遊記 – 科威特塔記憶 / Deep Travel – Kuwait and its Towers

深度旅遊記 – 科威特塔記憶 / Deep Travel – Kuwait and its Towers

(English translation by Tanya / 英譯：殘編）

科威特塔 / Kuwait towers
(By Mikael Lindmark – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5 se, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1270437)

我迷戀海，更經常夢到在海上行走、飛躍；海無邊無際，宇宙有多大它就有多廣，夢境的海洋是神，力量無窮盡。若你走過大西洋、太平洋、印度洋，也曾倘佯在地中海、加勒比海、愛琴海、死海海灘，海洋的影子必會駐留在你腦後的神經裡，因為每一次的海岸逗留都在警惕你：人類有多麼的渺小。
波斯灣的記憶更讓人難以忘懷，因為它更古老、更糾葛。不是因為現代中東世界此起彼落的戰爭或貪婪的爪牙在此無限的延伸，而是因為那些自古至今始終穿著長袍、低垂著眼簾漫步在海灘上的族群令人無限憐惜與不捨。
我們來到波斯灣的小大國—科威特。說它小，因為它的面積只有台灣的一半；說它大，因為它的石油儲量位居世界第五、產量佔世界第十位，經濟繁榮、國家富裕、人民享有相當程度的民主與自由。

English version / 英文版:
I am madly in love with the sea. I often dream of walking and dancing on the sea; the sea is endless and stretches into infinity. When I think about the oceans I see powerful and endless possibilities. If you have been to the Atlantic, Pacific, or the Indian Oceans, the memories will last forever, reminding you how insignificant we human beings are.
My visit to the Persian Gulf is even more memorable because of its wealth of history. It is not because of the endless wars or greedy minions in the modern Middle East world, but because the ethnic groups who have always wore long robes and walked down the beach with their eyes down are infinite pity and reluctance.

• 科威特人 / kuwaiti people:

科威特人 / kuwaiti people
(image credit: Eurasia Foundation)

科威特朋友要比沙烏地的朋友們個性直接，有時候說話近乎殘酷，但我蠻喜歡個性鮮明的人，畢竟要與深藏不露的人相處總會令人緊張不安。科威特朋友引他的朋友前來帶我們走沙灘、在觀海餐廳吃海鮮、到傳統阿拉伯咖啡館抽水煙。一天的相處我們深感這一群年輕人兼具他們來自內志貝都因祖先的古道熱腸以及二十一世紀現代人的時尚。

English version / 英文版:
Kuwaiti people are more straightforward than Saudi Arabians. Sometimes, they come off a bit harsh, but I like people with distinct personalities. After all, it is always uneasy to get along with people who have hidden agendas. A Kuwaiti friend asked his friend to take us to the beach, dine at a beachside seafood restaurant, and smoke hookah at a traditional Arabic cafe. These Millenials demonstrate both the enthusiasm inherited from their Bedouin ancestors and the 21st-century modern fashion.

科威特旅遊景點 – 科威特塔 / kuwait Travel Destination – Kuwait Tower:

科威特旅遊景點 – 科威特塔 / Kuwait tower observation

科威特旅遊景點 – 科威特塔 / kuwait Travel Destination – Kuwait Tower (image credit: visit-Kuwait)

我們來到象徵科威特現代化的地標，亦即位於「婆婆頭」（Ra’s Ajuzah）區的科威特塔。「婆婆頭」區深入波斯灣，海岸可以遍覽整個波斯灣的美景，夜晚的波斯灣燈火閃爍，非常壯觀，讓人流連忘返。
科威特塔共有三座，開放於1979年。三座塔高度不同，各具不同的功能，最高塔高187公尺。由於科威特塔

融合現代科技、美學與功能性，1980年獲得 Aga Khan伊斯蘭建築獎。
最高的休閒塔高處呈兩個球型狀，較高的球每半小時做三百六十度旋轉，裡面有餐廳、咖啡廳。這座塔的高速電梯35秒升高133公尺。我們乘電梯到塔上餐廳享用自助餐，旋轉餐廳是玻璃圍牆，從上面可以一覽無餘附近波斯灣及科威特市全景。夜晚從外面向上看，旋轉餐廳如同五光十色的水晶球，讓人驚豔！
水塔功能的科威特塔高147 公尺，可容一百萬加侖的水。最低的塔高113公尺，其發動機可以照明附近地區，使得科威特海灘在每個夜晚都如同掛滿星星的世界。

English version / 英文版:
Our first stop is the modern landmark of Kuwait’, namely the Kuwait Towers in the “Ra’s ‘Ajūzah” district. standing on a promontory into the Persian Gulf, the coast offers a beautiful view of the entire Persian Gulf. The Gulf lights up at night, which is very spectacular and makes us never want to leave.
The Kuwait Towers are a group of three towers that were officially inaugurated in 1979. Each of the three towers has different heights and different functions. The highest (main) tower is 187 meters high. As the Kuwait Towers integrate modern technology, aesthetics, and functionality, it won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1980.
The tallest tower holds two spheres. The higher sphere has a restaurant and cafe that rotates 360 degrees every half an hour. The tower’s high-speed elevator runs up 133 meters in 35 seconds. We took the elevator up to the revolving restaurant to enjoy a nice buffet. The glass windows provide a panoramic view of the Persian Gulf and Kuwait City skyline. Looking up the tower from the outside at night, the revolving restaurant is like a glowing crystal ball, which is picturesque!
The second tower, which functions as a water tower, is 147 meters high and can hold over one million gallons of water. The lowest tower is 113 meters high.

• 科威特解放塔 /  Kuwait Liberation Tower:

科威特解放塔 /  Kuwait Liberation Tower (image credit: visit-Kuwait)

科威特解放塔 /  Kuwait Liberation Tower (image creit: Indians in Kuwait

除了科威特塔之外，我們較有興趣的景點是「解放塔」（Liberation Tower）。這是一個記錄現代科威特辛酸史的紀念塔，對曾經在沙烏地阿拉伯經歷1991年海灣戰爭的我們來說，無異是我們人生的一部份。猶記1990年8月2日天尚未破曉，我從短波收音機裡聽到伊拉克已經入侵科威特，當天的電視裡我們看到阿拉伯海灣合作理事國的首長們匯集在沙烏地，各個愁容滿面。不久科威特在沙烏地成立臨時政府，這是讓人難過的現代阿拉伯國家內鬨、借助外力解決紛爭的歷史事件。自此阿拉伯國家的分裂越趨嚴重，西方國家軍事介入波斯灣也形成一種常態，並種下九一一事件的禍根。這次海灣戰爭結束後，科威特收復領土，建築「解放塔」，並於1996年開放，讓科威特人民記取這次戰爭的教訓。解放塔的底部是購物中心，世界名牌店進駐於此，頂端有圓形觀景台。白天的解放塔高聳入雲霄，與烈陽相互輝映，形成修長的倒影；夜晚解放塔便是科威特人的燈塔，引導他們走向光明，我們藉由無數的海灣高塔，見識到阿拉伯海灣人的樂觀與進取。

English version / 英文版:
Besides the Kuwait Towers, we find the Liberation Tower more intriguing. This is a memorial tower that records the bitter history of Kuwait. For us who experienced the Gulf War in Saudi Arabia in 1991, this is just a part of life. I still remember before sunrise on August 2, 1990, I heard on the radio that Iraq had invaded Kuwait. Later on TV, we saw the heads of the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council congregating in Saudi Arabia, and their faces were full of sadness. Soon Kuwait established a government-in-exile in Saudi Arabia. This is a sad historical event that led to how modern Arab countries have used external forces to resolve political infighting. Since then, Arab countries have fallen apart, and Western countries’ military presence in the Persian Gulf has also become the norm, and possibly planted the seed of the 911 incident. After the Gulf War ended, Kuwait regained its territory and built the “Liberation Tower“, which was opened in 1996, reminding Kuwaiti people to learn from the lessons from the war. The bottom of the Liberation Tower is a shopping center housing world-famous luxury brands. There is a panoramic observation deck on top. During the day, the Liberation Tower reaches the sky and creates a slender reflection; at night, the Liberation Tower is a beacon guiding Kuwaiti people towards optimism and positivity.