The Kuwait Scientific Centre is the best single attraction in the Salmiya area and one of the most visited in the country. The main draw is the aquarium, the largest in the Middle East, with over 100 species of fish, sharks, rays, and other marine life in tanks that replicate Red Sea, Arabian Gulf, and Indian Ocean environments. There is also a discovery centre aimed at children and an IMAX cinema in a separate dome.
The building itself, designed in the late 1990s with an Arabic calligraphy facade, sits directly on the Kuwait Bay waterfront and is one of the more architecturally interesting structures in the country. Allow at least two to three hours. Entrance fees are moderate; tickets for the IMAX are separate.