Manama: Luxury and service are hallmarks of Bayan Palace, the palace that hosts the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) 30th summit.
The magnificent construction inaugurated in 1986 when Kuwait was home to the Fifth Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), has hosted every major international conference in Kuwait City since then.
The architecture is an outstanding combination of modern elements, Islamic art and intricate designs, with touches of Andalusian art features in the fountains at the palace's main entrances.
Salient features
The Liberation Hall has been lined with the flags of the six member states and portraits of their leaders.
Over the last 13 years, the palace has been the venue for many Gulf, Arab and Islamic conferences, the last being the Arab Economic Summit in January.
The palace features a conference hall building, the Emiri tent, six complexes, each holding three buildings, bringing the total to 18.
The palace also has a security command building and parking lots for each of the buildings.
The palace has its very own water plant, an internal television network, an automatic system for the monitoring of buildings, clinics, helicopter pads, and a golden-domed mosque with a capacity for 1,200 worshippers.
The conference hall building comprises three large meeting rooms, a theatre with a capacity of 1,000 seats that can be used as a conference hall, a celebration hall, reception area, press room, a library, and a special wing holding the Office of the Emir and other administrative offices, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) said.
An Emiri tent was built in 1991, immediately after the liberation of Kuwait and upon the orders of the late Emir, Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah.
The tent is built over 3,800 square metres and has a celebration hall for 500 people and a conference hall for 265 people.
