ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the urban identity of Kuwait City in light of the proto-globalised architectural figure of Frank Lloyd Wright and his mythical projects in and around the Persian Gulf. It provides a regional context that considers the influence of Islam, globalising European empires, and post-colonial nation building. The chapter discusses the relationship between place, culture and architecture within the domain of globalisation. Situated at the centre of the region named the Middle East by Eurocentric nations, the Arabian Peninsula was the home of several ancient civilisations and trading routes that helped to foster early global encounters. Despite the importance of Failaka Island in the history of the Persian Gulf, it is known that Kuwait City which sits opposite Failaka on the mainland developed separately and also much later on. Frank Lloyd Wright's unbuilt project for a Cultural Quarter' in Baghdad represented a singular vision for the identity of that city.
