Media from My Country (3): Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Founder of the Modern State
Good morning; the Al Sabah family is one with deep roots, noble lineage, and a distinguished origin, tracing back to the depths of history. People have known it for its chivalry and generosity, its loyalty and steadfastness, and its good conduct and lasting legacy. For this reason, I began with you, and from you the journey started; thus, the choice of the Al Sabah family as the inaugural subject of this series of broadcasts from my country was an act of loyalty to a family whose name is intertwined with Kuwait’s history, and which has maintained a firm presence and far-reaching impact throughout its journey. Since the great family is known for its men and women, I decided to begin with its prominent figures—those who left imprints on Kuwait’s path worthy of being recounted, lives worthy of being revived, and deeds deserving of being kept in the memory of the nation and future generations.
Episode Three: When Oil Began to Change Kuwait’s Face
In the previous episodes, we saw Kuwait as it was handed over by Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in 1921, and we followed the economic crises it faced, its experiences in consultation and political organization, and its progress in education, administration, and services, leading up to World War II and the discovery of commercial quantities of oil in the Burgan field in 1938. However, the discovery of oil was not the end of the story, but rather the beginning of the major transformation. World War II halted significant aspects of its development and exploitation. Then, oil operations resumed after the war ended in 1945, and Kuwait began to gradually transition from a sea-based economy to the oil age.
First: The End of the War and Oil’s Return to the Forefront
The discovery of oil in the Burgan field in 1938 did not mean that Kuwait instantly became an oil state. The war had halted significant development work, and commercial production and export were delayed. After the war ended, drilling and production operations resumed, and the construction of necessary facilities for transporting and exporting oil began. Thus, the discovered wealth became a resource capable of supporting the economy and the state. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber was at the heart of this phase; he witnessed the signing of the oil concession agreement in 1934, the discovery of Burgan in 1938, and remained in power until he saw Kuwaiti oil reach the world.
Second: June 30, 1946 – The Day Kuwait’s History Changed
On the morning of June 30, 1946, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah attended at the port of Ahmadi the ceremony for exporting the first commercial shipment of crude Kuwaiti oil. He personally turned the silver wheel, signaling the start of oil flow through the pipeline to the British tanker “British Fossiler,” which carried more than ten thousand tons of crude oil. This was not merely a commercial shipment, but a historic moment of transition; Kuwait, which had lived for centuries relying on the sea, diving, trade, and fishing, began entering an era in which it would become a source of a strategic resource for the world. This event was the fruit of a journey that began after the decline of the pearl economy, followed by the signing of the oil concession, the discovery of Burgan, and culminating in the export of the first shipment. Oil emerged from the earth, and Kuwait’s face began to change.
Third: Oil Is Not Just Wealth – It Marks the Beginning of a New Role for the State
Oil alone was not sufficient to build a modern state; wealth requires management, society requires education, health requires services, and growth requires roads, facilities, and infrastructure. Oil arrived at a time when Kuwait had already taken its first steps in education, administration, and services, allowing it to expand these sectors and accelerate their growth. Thus, the state gradually transitioned from performing its basic functions to expanding its responsibilities to include education, health, services, facilities, and development. Therefore, the modern state was not born the day oil emerged from the earth; rather, oil provided the strength necessary to expand the foundations that had begun earlier.
Fourth: Ahmadi – When the Trace of Oil Moved from the Earth to the City
The impact of oil on the land became visible through the facilities, structures, offices, workshops, residences, and services that emerged around the oil industry in the Ahmadi region. Then, the city of Ahmadi developed to become an early model of a modern city linked to the oil industry. Thus, oil was no longer just a substance extracted from the earth; it became a factor in shaping a new place and a different pattern of life and work, alongside old Kuwait, where the sea was the center of economic and social life.
Fifth: Oil Changes Kuwaiti Society
The transformation was not only economic and urban; it also affected society. The society, which had long relied on diving, trade, fishing, and crafts, began to encounter new fields of work. Government jobs expanded, and the need for education, specialization, and administration increased. Thus, not only did the source of income change, but also the way of work, society’s view of education, the role of the state, and people’s vision of the future. This transformation was gradual, yet it encompassed the individual, the place, and the institution together.
Sixth: Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber – Witnessing the Beginning of the Fruit, Not Its Completion
Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber took over Kuwait when it was facing the aftermath of the collapse of the pearl economy. He lived through years of hardship, crises, and wars. He then witnessed the oil concession in 1934, the discovery of Burgan in 1938, and the export of the first commercial shipment in 1946. He saw the beginning of the fruit, but he did not live to see its completion. On January 29, 1950, he died after ruling Kuwait for nearly three decades, leaving the country on the threshold of a new phase in which state institutions would expand, resources would multiply, cities would change, and education, health, and services would advance. The value of his phase lies in the fact that he did not see the modern state fully realized, but he led Kuwait on the path that made its completion possible.
Seventh: From Ahmad Al-Jaber to Abdullah Al-Salem – The Passing of the Torch
When Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber passed away, the torch was passed to Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah. This was not merely a transition between two men, but between two connected phases. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber led Kuwait to the threshold of the oil age, witnessed the beginning of its export, and his era contributed to laying the initial foundations for education, administration, and services. Then came Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem to lead a phase in which urban and service development expanded alongside increasing oil revenues, and the state moved to build its modern institutions. During his reign, Kuwait declared its independence on June 19, 1961, followed by the issuance of the Constitution on November 11, 1962, and the opening of the National Assembly in 1963. Here the picture becomes clear: Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber laid the foundations, and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem led Kuwait to the stage of independence and constitution.
Eighth: Ahmad Al-Jaber – The Builder of the Modern State
Half of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber is described as the builder of the modern state because he took over Kuwait during one of the most difficult periods in its history, preserved its existence, managed its crises, witnessed the development of education, administration, and services, opened the door to oil, and then witnessed its first commercial export to the world. He built the path before the state was fully complete. He did not create modern Kuwait alone; states are the fruit of the efforts of generations of rulers, Kuwaitis, their leaders, and their institutions. However, he was the man who led Kuwait from the final stages of the sea-based economy to the beginning of the oil age, and laid the foundations upon which those who came after him built. He then passed away in 1950, and the torch was passed to Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem. If Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber is the builder of the modern state, then Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem is the founder of the state of independence and constitution. Thus, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber did not enter history alone; he entered with all of Kuwait, which was destined for history.
Butter (Summary Points)
1. World War II ended in 1945, and oil development operations in Kuwait resumed after the war had halted significant aspects of them.
2. On June 30, 1946, Kuwait exported its first commercial shipment of crude oil, with Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber in attendance, who turned the silver wheel to signal the start of exports.
3. The export of oil marked a turning point that moved Kuwait from a sea- and pearl-based economy to the beginning of the oil age.
4. Oil enabled the state to expand education, health, services, and facilities, areas whose outlines began during the reign of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber.
5. New facilities and cities emerged around the oil industry, and the city of Ahmadi was among the most prominent manifestations of urban transformation.
6. Oil gradually changed the structure of society, leading to the emergence of new fields of work, the expansion of government jobs, and the growing need for education, specialization, and administration.
7. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber died in 1950 after witnessing the discovery of oil and the start of its export, placing Kuwait on the threshold of major transformation.
8. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem succeeded him to power, leading Kuwait to independence, the constitution, and the building of a constitutional state.
9. Thus, the journey is integrated: Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber is the builder of the modern state, and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem is the founder of the state of independence and constitution.
Dr. Abdulhamid Al-Shaigee
