Brief  History of the State of Kuwait    The Arabian Gulf and Kuwait both boast a special importance in regional history, international relations and world trade. This importance goes back to ancient times, specifically to the Middle Ages. The present territories of Kuwait were actually part of the Arab empire of Medieval Kenda that reigned over the region from the 3rd to the 5th century A.D.    An archeological excavation led by a Dutch mission in Failaka Island in 1958 and the monuments they discovered prove the existence of an ancient civilization in Kuwait. Having the Arabian Peninsula as its inseparable western border and the Arabian Gulf as its eastern one, Kuwait has been closely related to them throughout history. Historians state that the Greeks passed through and resided in Failaka Island in 326 B.C. during the invasion of Alexander the Great to the East to discover the marine route connecting the Sind River to the Shatt Al-Arab channel. Among the monuments found in Failaka was the Icarus Stone on which the Greeks inscribed their tales. These archaeological finds prove that there was an established civilization in Kuwait, contemporary with other ancient civilizations of the East. One historian even maintains that Kuwait witnessed a part of the war between Al-Hareth bin Amr bin Hajar Al-Kendi and Al-Mundher bin Maa Al-Samaa. The latter won a battle at Warba Island. Moreover, the shores of the Arabian Gulf witnessed the first clash in history between the Muslims and the Persians. They fought during the caliphate of Abu Bakr at Kazema (Dhat Al-Salasel) in 12 A.H./633 A.D. Kazema was mentioned repeatedly in Arabic poetry and is now a well-known place in Kuwait.  From the end of the 9th century to the end of the 11th century A.D., Kuwait, along with a large area of the Arabian Peninsula, became part of the strong Carmathian Empire that threatened the Abbasid seat of the caliphate in Baghdad. After the decline of the Carmathian Empire, a group of local tribal emirates arose and survived till the end of the 15th century A.D. During that period, the port of Kazema served as the eastern maritime gate to the Arabian Peninsula.  In the modern era, Banu Khaled was the strongest Arab tribe in this area. By the end of the 15th century A.D., it managed to control a large area, extending from Basra to Qatar and including Kuwait. Later on, Banu Khaled's leaders resisted Turkish occupation. When Sheikh Barak bin Ariaar presided over the Banu Khaled 1669, he besieged Al-Ehsaa City (Al-Hufouf) until the surrender of the Turkish governor Umar Pasha. This marked the end of Turkish dominance of the western coast of the Arabian Gulf.  Kuwait further established its identity when certain prominent families settled there, including the Al-Sabah family and others who belonged mainly to the Anza tribe. They were the first to build brick houses in Kuwait.  Kuwait was originally named Al-Qurain (Grane) on European maps of the 18th and 19th centuries. This name was later changed to Kuwait.  The history of the Al-Sabah family in Kuwait can be traced back to the year 1613. In a letter to the British Resident in the Gulf, Sheikh Mubarak began his letter by talking about demarcation of the Kuwaiti borders by stating, "Kuwait is an arid land to which our grandfather Sabah emigrated 1022 A.H. This means that the state of Kuwait came into existence in 1022 A.H./1613 A.D., a fact that is also supported by other references. Other narrations maintain that Kuwait was a stable and prosperous community starting in 1649. In that year, the people of Grane (ancient Kuwait) sent warships and weapons to the Omani sultan Imam Nasser bin Murshed to help him fight the Portuguese. Abdullah Muhammad mentioned this in his book "Story of the Big Sail". This is indicative of the political stability and economic prosperity Kuwait enjoyed at that time. Furthermore, a surviving copy of the Al-Muwatta Book (of Imam Malek) was presumably written in 1682 in Failaka, a Kuwaiti island that was only 17 km from Kuwaiti shores. The style and quality of this handwritten copy shows perfect calligraphy and diacritization marks, which proves the existence of academic excellence on the island, related to even a more advanced academic environment in Kuwait. In 1709 a Syrian pilgrim, Murtada bin Elwan, visited Kuwait before he went home after pilgrimage. He described Kuwait's markets and buildings, and referred to the economic stability and prosperity he witnessed there. In addition to the evident stability and prosperity Kuwait enjoyed during the 17th century, we find no reference to political conflict or power struggles to change authority in Kuwait. The date mentioned by Sheikh Mubarak in his letter, 1022 A.H./1613 A.D., remains as the indisputable reference to the first year of the Al-Sabah family's settlement in Kuwait. All the evidence we referenced above supports this argument, despite the fact that formal history acknowledges Sheikh Sabah bin Jaber (Sabah I, died 1190 A.H., 1776 A.D.) as the first member of the Al-Sabah family to rule Kuwait.