Page 5 - Date Palm_EA Book_English

Introduction
The evergreen date palm has been associated with places of human habitation, especially in deserts and oases areas, be- cause of its ability to withstand high temperatures and a limit- ed water supply. Reaching up to 30 metres tall, the date palm has a long trunk crowned by leafy fronds. It can live up to 100 years and so was often linked to a community or society’s sur- vival and growth.
The date palm is one of the oldest trees to be cultivated by man. Archaeological findings show that some current variet- ies were grown more than 5,000 years ago, mainly in dry des- ert regions. As up to 80 per cent of the United Arab Emirates’ landscape is desert, the palm tree has proved crucial to human settlement. It has played a fundamental role in the life of this country’s inhabitants, particularly before the discovery of oil in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Archaeological excavations in some areas of the United Arab Emirates have unearthed remains of trees such as date palms, ghaf and samar that date as far back as 3000 BCE. Date palms were depicted in the Bronze Age rock carvings of Khor Fakkan on the east coast, while seeds of burned dates have also been discovered in the Al Ain Region.
Government and civic institutions in the United Arab Emirates have endeavoured to preserve and enhance the cultural, eco- nomic and social status of the date palm. Growers and farmers have been provided with all kinds of assistance, whether ma- terial or cultural. As a result, there has been an unprecedented expansion in the cultivation of the finest varieties.