From a certain perspective, there are many similarities between the Kuwaiti house and the Thai white elephant.
The white elephant is a rare species. Therefore, in the ancient kingdom of Siam (Thailand), it was considered a sacred animal with high religious, moral, and material value. However, the king gifting such an elephant to someone could be the worst thing to happen to that person.
The white elephant is practically useless. Because they were sacred, they were not allowed to be used like other elephants and animals. However, they required very special, continuous care in terms of food and shelter, which demanded significant financial costs and effort. This would happen at the expense of the unfortunate recipient’s home, pocket, and time.
In addition to caring for the precious gift, the recipient also had to serve its visitors at home for blessings. This increased the cost of the huge animals on the homeowner’s shoulders. This was the purpose of the gift.
The unprecedented massive building systems, laws, and ratios invented by Kuwait Municipality have made Kuwaiti houses share several aspects with the Thai elephant.
Concrete Elephant
Like the Thai elephant, Kuwaiti houses are massive concrete blocks and buildings occupying the entire land, divided into large rooms, vast halls, and numerous bathrooms (15-20 bathrooms in the house!), in addition to areas and corridors that are large empty covered spaces most days, months, and years of the house’s life, except for dust.
Costs from Excavation to the Grave
Due to its enormous size, the modern Kuwaiti house consumes 3-4 times more than its counterparts in GCC countries and the world in terms of money, building materials, effort, and costs of furnishing, operation, cooling, maintenance, and continuous repairs. These increase due to neglected areas and spaces, doubled heights, and exaggerated specifications and “needs”.
The most prominent costly features in the Kuwaiti house are the master bedrooms for children and adults, spacious guest halls and diwaniyas that occupy the most important locations in the house, with more than one kitchen, all requiring high costs from excavation to preparation, furnishing, air conditioning, and maintenance.
Divorce and the Elephant
The Kuwaiti house also requires great effort in management, supervision, cleaning, maintenance, and continuous care, especially the empty halls and majlis waiting for guests who come for a few days every few years. Or perhaps for a wedding of one of the children, often a wedding hall is rented at that time!
It’s worth noting that the divorce rate in Kuwait exceeds 60% of cases (Annual Statistical Book, Ministry of Justice, 2024). Additional losses and waste.
This exaggeration in building size primarily benefits those who convert land and a single-family residence into investment apartments. But it also includes houses occupied by a single family or with one of the married children. It may also benefit those who take government housing and then quickly sell it while living in their parents’ house.
If the family’s excuse is the children’s need for an apartment, there are many residential apartments today. Supporting the child with additional rent allowance from the parents saves money and potential problems with the new “in-laws”.
Perhaps the only difference between the Kuwaiti house and the Thai elephant is divorce. And in this, we surpass it as well.
