- Title: UAE-DATES FESTIVAL Date festival opens in Abu Dhabi
- Date: 23rd July 2015
- Summary: ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (JULY 22, 2015) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING OUTSIDE THE LIWA DATE FESTIVAL TENT VENUE VARIOUS OF LIWA DATE FESTIVAL TENT VENUE WITH SIGN READING "LIWA DATE FESTIVAL" IN ARABIC AND ENGLISH VARIOUS OF THE TENT VENUE WITH STALLS SHOWCASING DATES AND SUSTAINABLE FARMING PRACTISES VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH THE TENT VENUE AND BROWSING THE STA
- Embargoed: 7th August 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: United Arab Emirates
- Country: United Arab Emirates
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA2YJ0JPPUIC9IN4AWCLLM35UX8
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Date merchants, farmers, consumers and curious customers flocked to the annual Liwa Date Festival in the desert of Abu Dhabi this week for a taste of the United Arab Emirates' most treasured fruit.
The festival, now in its 11th year, is a celebration of the date palm, its bountiful fruit, and its prominent role in the history and culture of the peoples of the Arabian Peninsula.
Festival organiser Abeed al Mazroui said the event is about more than just the fruit.
"People always talk about the advantages of date. But this is not just about that, this competition has several aims. One of them is to highlight the importance of the Palm tree. It was a friend to mankind in the past, and today we are celebrating it. The UAE, and Liwa, are famous for their palm trees. We have the largest number of date palms in the world, but also one of the largest number of different varieties of date palms in the UAE," he said.
"Today we are talking about heritage, we are talking about something that's meaningful, not material, this is about heritage and roots for hundreds of years. Today we are able to showcase it in a way that is worthy," he added.
The festival includes a date "beauty contest", a date auction, workshops and information sessions on how to best care for palm trees. A competition for the best mangoes and lemons is also part of the festival's attractions.
Date merchant Abdel Hameed Marzouqi brought dates from Zirku island, around 140 km from Abu Dhabi's city centre.
"We are exhibiting the products of Zirku Island which, despite it being an oil and gas producing island, has paid attention to the environment and farming and we began producing various types of dates, including some special ones like the Anbara and the Sultana," he said.
Another date merchant, Mohammed Ghanem Mansouri, hailed the festival for bringing so many people in the field together under one roof.
"This festival is considered one of the most important annual events that our company always participates in because it gathers farmers and experts and users under one umbrella," he said.
Alongside the impressive display of dates, in their dozens of shapes, varieties and sizes, the festival also showcases a "traditional market" which features traditional Emirati products, tools, and crafts, most of which are made from dates or palm trees.
The festival takes place in the Western desert region of the UAE where a huge tent venue is set up to cater to sellers, buyers, and visitors alike in an event that caters to some 70,000 people annually. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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