A veritable treat for visitors at Liwa Ajman Date festival

Ajman: With more than ten different kinds of dates on display and the chants of traditional ayyala (traditional) dancers, the first Liwa Ajman Date Festival was inaugurated yesterday by Shaikh Ammar Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman.

The three-day festival showcases date farming traditions, date and palm trading and a number of other cultural and heritage events such as weaving baskets as well as art galleries. It also features date competitions during the three days of the festival. Winners of the contest will be announced at the end of each day.

Shaikh Ammar toured the venue and was briefed about the products and activities by the participants. He commended the festival and said that this festival acts as a meeting point for those interested in palm tree farming and they could also share thoughts and ideas.

The festival is being held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ajman. It was organised by Ajman Culture and Media Department with the co-operation of Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.

Top produce

Some of the dates on offer include the famous and top graded Khalas, as well as Shishi, Dabbas, Lulu, Bu Ma'an and Khunaizi. The Liwa Centre for Dates Processing and Trading offered some unique products such as date pickles, date jam, date juice as well as chocolate-dipped dates.

Maitha Jasem Al Mazroui, one of the participants, said that Liwa is the most popular region in the UAE for date production. She added that Al Ain and Al Dhaid are also known for the quality of their production.

Maitha added that in Ramadan people prefer the Shishi, Bu Ma'an and the Dabbas variety of dates as they are drier and more mature.

The UAE University's Date Palm Research and Development programme presented and exhibited some samples of the various production stages of date palm tissue culture, right until it turns into a three-year-old plant.

Learning tradition

In a step towards engaging the younger generation and familiarising them with the traditions of their ancestors, a general knowledge contest about palms and dates as well as a traditional craft contest has been planned today which is open for children enrolled in summer camps and clubs.

The festival also features art, photography and stamp galleries. The stamp gallery, which was organised in conjunction with Emirates Post, boasts a collection of stamps featuring categories of dates in the emirates.

An open discussion will be chaired by Ali Al Matroushi, head of heritage, museums and monuments today.

Information

• What: Liwa Ajman Date Festival
• When: Until July 29
• Time: 10am-10pm, except Friday.
• For schedules and further information, contact 06-7116666 or 050-3006888