Date Palms
Overview
In the UAE, the date palm is considered very important for its commercial value in sales of the fruit, but also for its social importance and heritage prestige as it has become a symbol of beauty decorating roads and public places across the nation.
The date palm includes more than 1,500 varieties. It’s one of the oldest fruit trees, and said to have sprouted more than ten thousand years ago. Its origin is unknown, but the belief is that it’s cultivation may have started in the east of the Arabian Peninsula, including UAE, back to 4000 years BC, before spreading to other parts of the world.
The UAE has the largest number of date palms for any single country in the world. It has over 40 million date palm trees, making it the world’s 4th largest date producer, accounting for 12% of the world’s production.
