Archaeological investigations on Failaka Island, conducted by the Kuwait-Georgian Archeological Mission, have recorded a variety of sites dating from different time periods, from the Bronze Age to the late Islamic/modern period. The largest proportion of recorded sites consist of late Islamic seasonal settlement structures found in the north-eastern part of the island. It is possible that they were connected to fishing and associated activities such as stock-farming and agriculture, which is confirmed by the results of palynological analysis. These sites are divided into two chronological phases: one from the seventeenth to eighteenth century and the second from the nineteenth to the first half of the twentieth century. In 2018, excavations at the water collection systems within these settlements began. The results gathered so far indicate that there were two kinds of well structures. The first are interpreted as shallow filtration well pits; the second are deep wells used for collecting water from deep underground. Both systems were used to collect rainwater, which was then filtered and stored. Marine and freshwater forms of algae were found in the basal sediments of the pits, which offers evidence for the accumulation and filtration of water.

Located north of the Arabian Gulf, the small island of Failaka is historically an important landmark of Kuwait. The importance of the island is likely a result of its strategic position on the trade route between the early civilizations of Mesopotamia and Dilmun. Dozens of sites, dating from the Early Bronze Age to the Late Islamic Period have been discovered on Failaka Island so far (Makharadze et al., 2017: 178). As a result of the Kuwait-Georgian Archaeological Mission in 2011-2019, new archaeological sites of different periods were identified on the island of Failaka. One of the problems of the island of Failaka is the lack of fresh groundwater. The existence of a water table cannot be explained by the impluvium (watershed) due to the small size of the island (Dalongeville, 1990: 34). In 2013-2016, during the Kuwait-Georgian archaeological missions, Late Islamic seasonal settlement structures were found in the north-eastern part of the island (Chkhvimiani, 2019: 181-187). It was established that some of the sites were related to water-gathering systems (group of KG12 sites). In this area, periodic and seasonal rainwater was flowing down the elevated slopes towards the natural depression along N-NW-directed artificial channels. After reaching the lowland, the rainwater was trapped and/or