Have a date with palms in Dubai

General view of newly opened Nakheel Park, Palm park at Al Aweer, Dubai

Date palms are the ultimate symbol of the UAE's environment, culture and heritage. But not many are aware of the vast varieties of date palms seen across the country.
Dubai on Sunday opened a multi-functional, themed park shaped in the form of a palm tree to give visitors an insight into about 150 varieties of date palms in the UAE.
The aerial view of the park shows a shape akin to that of Dubai's iconic man-made palm islands, sans the sea around them.
Kicking off the 36th Plantation Week activities of the Dubai Municipality, Shaikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum inaugurated Al Nakheel (Palm) Park beside Al Awir Roundabout in Al Awir 2 area.
Shaikh Rashid, Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director-General of Dubai Municipality, and other senior officials of the municipality planted a palm tree to mark the occasion.
"The date palm is a symbol of the UAE's culture and heritage," said the Director of the Parks and Horticulture Department Mohammed Abdul Rahman Al Awadi. "We should give more opportunities for tourists and the young generation to know more about it ... and connect them to our past ... The aim of Al Nakheel Park is to do that and support farming and sale of dates," he told Khaleej Times.
Around 1,500 palms will dot the Dh24.3-million Al Nakheel Park spread across in 11 hectares once the entire project is complete.
"We have already planted 60 varieties of date palms here ... We are collecting some of the rare varieties from different parts of the country. We will plant them all by this month end," he said.
Each frond of the palm-shaped park is dotted with one variety of date palm.
Al Awadi said the park has been made smart and sustainable by using solutions like QR Code and solar panels.
By scanning the QR Code placed on a steel board at the entrance of the park, visitors can get details on all the facilities inside the park. Similarly, the description about each variety of palm can be accessed by scanning the QR Code placed in the beginning of each frond of the palm park.
All lighting in the park is powered by solar panels and most of the facilities use recycled materials.
The park includes a plaza for various activities, a lake, sitting areas for families and two play areas for children.
Various elements from the yesteryears like pergolas thatched with dry palm leaves have been fixed at the park. It also showcases the old canal system of irrigation.
The municipality's plan is to provide a platform for traditional dances, handicrafts and ethnic cooking at the park. The civic body has also made a building to arrange the provision for selling dates and related products, conduct workshops for children and also host date festivals at the park.