Record set for largest sandcastle

Abu Dhabi: With 3,000 tons of sand used for construction, the UAE is marking a Middle East record for the biggest sandcastle by the Abu Dhabi Corniche.

Built by eight artists from the UAE, various Arab countries, Germany, and the Czech Republic, the castle stands at eight metres tall, 30 metres in length, and 18 metres in width.

With a UAE flag on top of it, the castle boasts a logo of the Expo 2020, a falcon, and an outline of each of the rulers of the seven emirates. It is surrounded by other sand sculptures including one of the Shaikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Burj Khalifa, and Al Hosn Fort, among others.

There is also a traditional Emirati souq next to the castle where visitors can sample local delicacies.

One of the artists, Jasem Al Ali, an Emirati, said it was his first time to build a sand sculpture.

“I like anything that involves art or décor so I thought I would try my hand with sand sculpting, and it turned out really well. Plus, these sculptures have a national side to them, so that encouraged me even more,” Al Ali told Gulf News.

Another artist, Foaad Youssef, had already participated in the sand sculpting championship two years ago, and was invited to take part in this event. The Lebanese artist constructed the fort, and the mosque, which alone took three days.

While such a structure would typically need around a month for construction, the artists completed the project in 17 days.

Organizers confirmed there have been many visitors especially foreigners.

Elif Dalkilinc, a Turkish resident, had come to check the sculptures with her family and said, “We were riding bicycles by the Corniche and we noticed the castle, so we came to check it. It seems really nice, and I particularly love the details of the sculpting on the walls.”

With free entry to the public, the sandcastle was on display at the Corniche from 18 – 24 December, and there are talks of possibly keeping it for another week.

The project is a dedication to President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the occasion of the UAE’s 42nd National Day.