Produces 73 types of dates

Zayed.. Built the "Palm Capital" with 33 million trees

• The UAE has the largest number of palm trees in the world.

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Official estimates confirm that the number of palm trees in Abu Dhabi alone exceeds 33 million, producing more than 73 types of the finest dates in the world.

In addition, there are 120 species in a complex of genes, which makes Abu Dhabi the capital of the "mother tree", as described by the Gulf heritage in which it occupies a distinguished position.

The credit for achieving these numbers is attributed to the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may he rest in peace, as he was closely associated with the environment and trees in general, and specifically with the palm tree, the spirit of the desert in which he grew up, and loved its details.

He also knew the virtue of this tree over the Bedouin in various aspects of his life, including his food, and from its fronds he made tools that he used in his daily life, and from its fronds and trunks he made his home.

Sheikh Zayed's interest in the palm was manifested in his keenness to develop palm cultivation and the expansion of the cultivated area.

The late Sheikh Zayed personally supervised the planting of palm trees and other types of trees, and he states that he ordered the planting of the Old Airport Street with 600 palm trees (Khalas - Lulu), to be the first street to be planted with this number of palms, then he ordered the planting of trees and roses to extend to a palace The beach, it decorated streets, parks, homes, schools, and others.

As a result of this wise policy, the Emirates became home to the largest number of palm trees, and the number continued to increase steadily, which enabled the UAE to enter the Guinness Book of Records in 2009, as the richest country in the world in the number of date palm trees, as it was estimated at the time at more than 40 million.

Among the cities that witnessed intensive palm cultivation are Al Ain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Al Dhaid area in the Emirate of Sharjah, and other cities, plains and oases on the land of the Emirates.

Currently, the actual number of palm trees in the country exceeds 42 million, of which 33 million are in Abu Dhabi alone, and palm trees in the UAE produce more than 73 types of the finest dates in the world.

There is a genetic complex that includes about 120 varieties, and some other types of dates have been added to these varieties, which were known in the Emirates, including: (Khalas, Bu Maan, Halawi, Hassawi, Khasab, Khneizi) and others.

In 2015, the FAO announced the addition of two date palm oases in the UAE to the ecosystems, which the organization officially recognizes of their importance at the international level, as they are living repositories of genetic resources, biological diversity and cultural heritage.

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