Recognized by UNESCO yesterday, the date palm has played an important role in the establishment and growth of civilizations in the hot and arid regions of the Arab world for centuries. Now, knowledge, traditions and practices related to date palms have been added to UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The tree, whose roots go deep into the ground and allow it to grow in arid climates, was not only a source of food, but also an economic asset.
“Date palms gather in oases of varying density in desert areas, which indicates the presence of water levels suitable for irrigation,” according to a nomination from 14 countries – Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian territories, Saudi -Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
“As a result, this helped humanity settle down in harsh conditions,” the document reads. To this day, date plates adorn tables in households and shops throughout the Arab world, where the symbol of the date palm has historically been a symbol of prosperity. The range of sweet fruits paired with a cup of coffee is a sign of good old-fashioned Arabic hospitality. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the date palm is probably the oldest tree cultivated.
It was already 4,000 BC. Grown and used for the construction of the temple of the moon god near Ur in southern Iraq – the ancient region of Mesopotamia. “The populations of the submitting states have been associated with the date palm for centuries as it helped them build civilization,” they said in the nomination. “Historical research and various excavations in antiquity have given the plant an important cultural and economic status in numerous regions such as Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt and the Arabian Gulf.”
The old harvest also faces some modern challenges. The Gulf States have fought hard to eradicate the red palm beetle, which originally came from Asia and was first discovered in the region in the 1980s. Barely a few inches long, the beetle produces larvae that feed on palm trunks and kill the trees. “In the Gulf States and the Middle East, $ 8 million is lost every year just removing severely infested trees,” said the FAO.
All parts of the date palm have been and are used in some parts of the region as a shelter or to make a range of products, including handicrafts, mats, ropes and furniture. To celebrate and promote the heritage of their date palms and palm products, some of the submitting countries host annual date festivals, notably the annual Liwa Date Festival in the United Arab Emirates and the Dates Festival in Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia. According to the Geneva-based International Trade Center, both Gulf states are among the top exporters.
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