Failaka
| Failaka | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Waters | Persian Gulf | |
| Geographical location | 29 ° 26 ' N , 48 ° 20' E | |
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| length | 13.8 km | |
| width | 5 km | |
| surface | 43 km² | |
| Highest elevation | 10 m | |
| Residents | 5832 (1985) 136 inhabitants / km² |
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| main place | az-Zawr (الزور) | |
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Failaka ( Arabic فيلكا, DMG Failakā ) is an island in the Persian Gulf , which today belongs to Kuwait and is about 20 km east of Kuwait City in the sea.
The island was already settled in the fourth millennium BC. Buildings and artifacts of the Dilmun culture have been found in al- Khidr . In the following period it seems to have remained uninhabited until around 300 BC. Was expanded by the Seleucids as a naval base. The island was called Ikaros by the Greeks . The ruins of two Greek temples on the island date from this period . The island was then inhabited until the seventh or eighth century AD. The latest archaeological excavations on the island are carried out by the Kuwaiti-Slovak Archaeological Mission (KSAM) (2004, 2006, 2007).
In addition to Dilmun, the island was historically significant as a source of fresh water for Kuwait City, as there were corresponding springs there. The island has been connected to the mainland by drinking water offshore pipelines since 1977.
The beginning of modern settlement is unknown. During the Second Gulf War , the residents of the island had to leave the island on the orders of the Iraqis and various facilities on the island were destroyed. Today the island is sparsely populated again and is mainly used as an excursion destination.
Population development
| year | 1957 | 1961 | 1965 | 1970 | 1975 | 1980 | 1985 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| population | 2442 | 2679 | 3279 | 3268 | 3962 | 4845 | 5832 |
Web links
- Kuwaiti-Slovak Archaeological Mission (KSAM)
- Failaka water supply
- Soviet General Staff Map 1: 200,000, map sheet h-39-19 ( Russian )
Individual evidence
- ↑ P. Barta et al: Al-Khidr on Failaka Island: Preliminary Results of the Fieldworks at a Dilmun Culture Settlement in Kuwait. In: kuwaitarchaeology.org , 11/2008, pp. 121-134 ( PDF , English).
- ↑ Matthias Bertram: Failaka Island: An island off the coast of Kuwait and its water supply. In: ahr-eifel-rhein.de , July 2011 ( PDF ).
literature
- Hans Erik Mathiesen: Failaka / Ikaros: The Hellenistic Settlements. Danish Archaeological Investigations in Kuwait 1. The Terracotta Figurines. Aarhus 1983. ISBN 87-0053-651-2
- Lise Hannestad: Failaka / Ikaros: The Hellenistic Settlements. Danish Archaeological Investigations in Kuwait 2. The Hellenistic Pottery. Aarhus 1985. ISBN 87-8841-502-3
- Kristian Jeppesen : Failaka / Ikaros: The Hellenistic Settlements. Danish Archaeological Investigations in Kuwait 3. The Sacred Enclosure in the Early Hellenistic Period. Aarhus 1990. ISBN 87-7288-053-8
- Poul Kjærum: Failaka, Dilmun. The Second Millennium Settlements. Danish Archaeological Investigations on Failaka, Kuwait 1.1. The Stamp and Cylinder Seals. Aarhus 1983. ISBN 87-8841-506-6
- Flemming Højlund: Failaka / Dilmun: The Second Millennium Settlements. Danish Archaeological Investigations in Kuwait 2. The Bronze Age Pottery. Aarhus 1987. ISBN 87-7288-045-7
- Poul Kjærum, Flemming Højlund: Failaka / Dilmun: The Second Millennium Settlements. Danish Archaeological Investigations in Kuwait 3. The Bronze Age Architecture. Aarhus 2013. ISBN 978-87-88415-63-6
- Anna Hilton: Failaka / Dilmun. The Second Millennium Settlements. Danish Archaoological Investigations on Failaka, Kuwait 4. The Stone Vessels. Aarhus 2014. ISBN 978-87-88415-80-3
- Mohamed A. Al-Sarawi; Yehia R. Marmoush; Jen-Men Lo; Khalid A. Al-Salem: Coastal Management of Failaka Island, Kuwait. In: Journal of Environmental Management, Volume 47, Issue 4, August 1996, pp. 299-310