Salmiya

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Salmiya (Arabic السالمية; transliterated al-Sālmiah) located 12 kilometers southeast of Kuwait City, is one of the largest areas in Kuwait consisting of both commercial and residential areas with a population of 223,640 as of January 2007. It is arguably Kuwait's flagship district being a major cultural and commercial hub. It is well connected to the rest of the country having a multitude of significant highways and roads passing through it en-route to the Capital Kuwait City.

Salmiya is administratively divided into 12 blocks. The blocks located closer to the interior tend to be mostly residential whilst those located besides the coast (Arabian sea) have a great deal of commercial and up-scale residential real estate, especially those through which the Gulf road passes through. The interior residential areas boast a huge proportion of expatriates, comprising mainly of those from the Indian sub-continent and Non-Gulf arabs.

Salmiya, as been a model district in the context of modernization. It has undertaken a major face lift in recent times primarily due to Major commercial real estate on the Gulf Road, the popular Salem Al-Mubarak Shopping strip and its relatively close proximity to the capital, Kuwait City. The boom in real estate in Salmiya as seen its demographics being constantly on the move. Increasing rental prices have gradually pushed out its working class expatriate community towards the interior districts of Kuwait.

Salem Al-Mubarak Street [in block four], which runs down the center of Salmiya is one of the largest shopping districts of Kuwait. Anything and everything, from chocolates to shoes can be found within its confines. The experience also varies from extremely westernized in the strip malls to a true Kuwaiti experience on some of the back streets. It is notable, to point out that the more eastwardly away from the capital, one moves along the strip ,the pricier the shops in general get. There are many gold and fabric shops in the "Old Souk" area located onwards from the intersection of the 4th ring road and the strip. Bargaining is an expected and culturally accepted part of the jewellery buying experience whilst traversing through the gold shops. The Sultan Center and many American fast-food franchises including Starbucks, McDonalds, Subway, Hardees, Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin Robbins 31 are centrally located. A Hard Rock Cafe was opened at the beachfront in 2004. The world-famous Scientific Center at Ras Salmiya is well renowned, and features a spectacular aquarium, IMAX theaters, cafés, and various educational and interactive exhibits. Most Kuwaiti banks have branches in the district.

The Gulf Road is coveted for its amazing sea vistas, and is the main hub for construction. Some of the landmark hotel projects include the Symphony project (incorporating the world's first Missoni Hotel, an office tower and an upscale mall; opening in mid 2008), the Olympic Council of Asia's Headquarters (set to include offices, a mall, and the Hilton Olympia Kuwait; opening in late 2008), the Ibis Salmiya and Omniya Centre (opening in early 2008), and the Wafra Mall and Tower (opening 2009).

Some of the major roads connecting Salmiya are the 4th ring road, 5th ring road and the Gulf road. Public transport is generally used by the lower class and is not widely regarded as a means of travel by the wealthier classes. There are 2 major bus operators, City Bus and Kuwait Public transportation company (KPTC) serving all major routes along Salmiya. Taxis are widely available and one can expect to pre-bargain about the fares.

The American University of Kuwait is the most prominent university in Salmiya. There are a large number of schools catering to different nationalities, notable among these are the Indian and Pakistani schools present in the area serving their respective communities to the span of many decades.

Block 10 is where most of Salmiya's South East-Asian community have taken up residence ever since the start of major migration to Kuwait from the sub-continent. One can expect to experience a typical sub-continental feel of this area especially during festive periods.

Salmiya also is host to numerous mosques, medical centers, a roman catholic chapel, the district passport office (Jawazat) and a well equipped park beside the 5th ring road.

Districts of Hawalli