The Armenians in Kuwait are people of Armenian descent living in Kuwait. As of 2013, there has been a large population increase and now there are 6,000 Armenians. Before the Gulf War, the Armenian population reached its peak of 12,000. But after the Iraqi invasions, the numbers of the Armenians resident in Kuwait greatly diminished to just 500 as they left the country. History The first known Armenian presence in Kuwait came in the late 1890s-1900 (turn of the century). The first Armenian families were established in 1947 (Boghos Hovakimian with wife Arousiag their son Hovak was born in 1952 first Armenian born in Kuwait American hospital, Mihran Zakarian and family). At that time there was less than 40 single Armenian men there. Among them were Nerses Shaghzoian, Ashot Babken, and Samuel Galoustian (in the early 1950s) and Hrair Hagopian (in the late 1950s) who had migrated from Iran. The most famous Armenian presence in Kuwait came immediately after the rise of Arab nationalism in Syria and Egypt in the 1950s and the 1960s. The first wave of Armenian immigrants to Kuwait were people looking to escape the turmoil in other Arab states. They consisted of engineers and contractors from Iran and also skilled craftsmen from Aleppo who found work in Kuwait’s light industry, auto repair, auto body, plumbing, electrical and service sector. A new influx of young Armenians created the need to establish an Armenian school in Kuwait, which was spearheaded by Vigen Shaghzo (aka Vicken Shaghzoian). In 1960, founders Vigen Shaghzo and brother Arshavir Shaghzo, supported by other prominent members of the Armenian community established Kuwait's first Armenian School and Armenian Apostolic Church. By the mid-1980s, this Armenian population of Kuwait reached its peak of 12,000. During and after Operation Desert Storm, the population diminished as Armenians immigrated to North America. As of 2013, there are roughly 6,000 Armenians in Kuwait. As a result of the Armenian genocide, many survivors were forced to first settle in the Levant including Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Iraq. In 1958, the first wave of Arab nationalism appeared in Syria and Egypt. This did not sit well with the large Armenian communities in these countries. The establishment of the United Arab Republic triggered a mass exodus of Armenians to Lebanon (from Syria) and to Canada and the United States (from Egypt). Some Syrian-Armenians immigrated to Kuwait, when it was still a British mandate