Abdul Hussain Mohammad Rafie Hussain Marafie

Born in Alwassat area in the year 1935 he spent part of his childhood i.e., till 8, in Kuwait. He took special interest in watching the dhows plying from Basra and India. At 9, he travelled to India-Mumbai by air. Having enrolled in a school in Mumbai he learned English & Urdu besides other subjects. Very shortly, he started his career in trading and business.

At 19, as per the wish of his father; Mohammad Rafie, he returned to his motherland in order to manage his business concerns. Since this period witnessed a boom in building construction, he joined his father in the execution & management of construction projects.

Abdul Hussain Marafie was an aggressive yet determined & adventurous personality. Due to his intense inquisitiveness he left for Germany to work in well known mines in Essen area which unfortunately collapsed much later. Having worked there, not only did he learn their language but developed his inter personal relationship too. This encouraged him to offer his assistance & support to Kuwaitis in Germany.   

In Germany, he was the central figure in giving frequent interviews to various German Journals. Later, he returned to Kuwait and from here to United States of America where he learned underwater ship maintenance and scuba diving.

Returning from the US, he worked in Alshu’aibah Area and later as Technical Manager of United Fisheries Co. With his father’s death on 25 October 1976, he along with his brothers established a new work base with their inheritance.

His fascination towards sailing dhows led him to master the details of Almohamadi I dhow (boom) which was built by his uncle Ali Hussain Marafie in 1916. This dhow had two flags, the first was 5 meter long and 2 meters wide with a triangle shape in red with the name "Kuwait" in white, whereas the second flag was 3 meters long and 1.75 wide but with same specifications. The asset value coupled with the unique specification of this measure forced him to rebuild the same dhow into Almohamadi II (boom) - one of the significant symbols of Kuwait.

In the year 1983 he decided to build Alghazeer Dhow, in which he made his famous historical trip from ports of India across the Indian Ocean to the Arabian Sea and finally to Kuwait. Today, the dhow has taken its berth in the Yacht Club in Alsha’ab area. This relic announces the history of sailing and the art of shipbuilding besides an attraction to tourists as well.

During the Iraqi occupation in the year 1990, Abdul Hussain Marafie was appointed member of People’s Committee for the Liberation of Kuwait. He established communication centre in the city of Stockholm in Sweden to maintain contacts with the official quarters of Kuwait Government in Taief and to convey information and wireless messages from Kuwait round the clock.  The Kuwaiti Station was operated by his cousin Abdul Jabar Mansour Marafie.

In 1985 he launched the idea of building Alhashemi II (Baghlah dhow) which is considered the largest Arabian Wooden Dhow of the World, certified by THE GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS with unique specifications. It was built on the dry dock of the Sea Front facing Kuwait Radisson SAS Hotel in Albida Area. It took Abdul Hussain Marafie and his team 15 long years to complete the project. Unfortunately, in the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the project had exposed to the destruction and looting of materials procured for the completion. Yet, with renewed spirit, strength, optimism and determination after the rehabilitation process &renovation of the hotel, Abdul Hussain Marafie resumed his dream project. With the dawn of the new millennium on March 29, 2000 Abdul Hussain Marafie in full spirit of achievement & accomplishment extended his hearty welcome to his guests at the grant reception held to mark THE AUSPICIOUS OCCASION OF THE INAUGURATION OF ‘ALHASHEMI II’. Thus his dreams came true.