Kuwait marks 58th national day 

Kuwaitis celebrate the country's 58th Independence Day and the 28th anniversary of the end of the Gulf war with the liberation of Kuwait from Iraqi occupation, in Kuwait City on February 25, 2019. (AFP)
  • The National Day commemorates the creation of Kuwait as a nation in 1961, while Liberation Day marks the end of the Iraqi occupation in 1991 during the Gulf War

CAIRO: Kuwait celebrated on Monday its national day, marking the anniversary of its 58th Independence and its 28th Liberation Days.

The National Day commemorates the creation of Kuwait as a nation in 1961, while Liberation Day marks the end of the Iraqi occupation in 1991 during the Gulf War.

Nation-wide festivities including firework displays and epic public entertainment activities. 

The day also marks the 13th anniversary of Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s assumption to power, as he he took to the throne in 2006. 

Since independence, Kuwait adopted balanced national and foreign policies aimed at maintaining the wellbeing of its people and bolstering ties of cooperation with its regional neighbors. 

Its Gulf neighbor, the UAE, celebrated the occasion by presenting a giant sand portrait of the Kuwaiti emir that could be visible from space. 

The portrait titled ‘Prince of Humanity’ covers an area of more than 170,000 square feet, and has been registered to enter the Guinness Book of World Records.

It was captured in a video shared on Twitter by Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE. 

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation also marked the occasion, by holding a series of events at its various airport terminals. 

Upon arrival to the Kingdom, passengers coming from Kuwait were greeted with roses, national flags of the two countries, and souvenirs in honor of the celebration.

A welcome statement was displayed on large screens inside the terminals of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. 

Similar gestures were made at other Saudi airports as well.