UAE Stories and Cultural Learning: Farms and Oases
Life in harsh climates, coupled with the constant need to travel many days in search of water sources, has been a theme of nomadic lifestyle for centuries.
Shimmering beneath the scorching sun, oases are extraordinary places that can be found all around the world, providing fresh water, shelter and cool shade for people passing through as well as for plants and animals that live in the area.
Situated south-west of Abu Dhabi, on the edge of the vast Empty Quarter desert, the Liwa Oasis is one of the largest oases of the Arabian Peninsula.
Its name comes from the Arabic word “Aljawaa” which means either a green oasis or a peaceful place to rest. Liwa Oasis is home to a plenty of water sources and irrigation allowed for farming of dates and vegetables. The cultivation of the date palms has been an integral part of the UAE’s heritage and the collective memory of the Emirati society.
As an intrinsic part of Arab life and culture, for centuries, palm trees were prized for their multiple uses, the fruit itself has been a primary staple of the Arab diet.
Palms provided a variety of materials to settle tribes, wood and leaves were used for carpentry and to make basic households. Luxuriant date plantations still grow all over the Liwa area and Al-Ain. Also known as the Garden City, Al-Ain has seven oases, irrigated with complex shared water supply based on both wells and ‘aflaj’.
The UAE’s traditional irrigation system has been used for centuries to tap into underground water sources, It’s hard to imagine that, deep in the heart of the UAE desert, organic farms are growing a variety of vegetables.
But local farmers are increasingly turning to modern techniques thanks to the Emirate’s government incentives. Ras al Khaimah produces most of the country’s vegetables, while in Al-Ain, there is the first palm plantation in the world that works on hydroponics, an agricultural method that uses water enriched with nutrients instead of soil to grow plants, which allows to save a huge amount of precious water.
UAE 101 Stories & Cultural Learnings
