Kuwait's emir Sheikh Nawaf laid to rest in low-key ceremony
Kuwait's emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who was defence minister when Iraq invaded the oil-rich country in 1990, was laid to rest Sunday in a low-key funeral, a day after he died aged 86.
Foreign leaders and envoys were later due to pay their final respects, including the Saudi de facto ruler, the kings of Bahrain and Jordan, and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Draped in a Kuwaiti flag, the coffin of Sheikh Nawaf, whose cause of death was not disclosed, was carried into a Kuwait mosque for prayers ahead of a burial ceremony that was broadcast on state television.
Attendance was largely limited to ruling family members, making for an intimate farewell for the emir who reigned for three years.
«The choice reflects the late emir's low-profile character,» said Bader al-Saif, a history professor at Kuwait University.
The new emir, Sheikh Meshal, a security expert and the half-brother of the late ruler, will receive condolences on Monday and Tuesday from the public and is expected to deliver his oath before parliament on Wednesday.
During the burial ceremony, also attended by the speaker of parliament, rows of relatives stood at Sheikh Nawaf's final resting place and performed prayers. Some crouched before his grave, cupping their hands and reciting Koran verses.
Across Kuwait City, large digital billboards displayed pictures of the late ruler, hailed as the «emir of wisdom, forgiveness and peace».
Flags where lowered to half-mast amid a 40-day mourning period that will also see government offices shut until Tuesday.
Speaking outside the mosque where the funeral took place, Kuwaiti citizen Ghanem al-Sulaimani said he was saddened by the death of
