Ikaros (Greek: Ἴκαρος) was the Hellenistic name for what is now the Failaka Island of Kuwait. It is located 50 kilometres (31 mi) southeast of the spot where the Tigris and Euphrates empty into the Persian Gulf. For thousands of years, the island served as a strategic point in the Persian Gulf that would enable its ruler to control the lucrative trade that passed through the area; the island has been a strategic location since the rise of the Sumerian city-state of Ur in Mesopotamia.