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Date palm: The cornerstone of civilisation in the Middle East and North Africa. The date palm has been around for millions of years and holds scientific, religious and cultural importance around the world. The date palm, Phoenix dactylifera , is an evergreen tree that belongs to the large and diverse palm family.
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It grows up to 23 metres tall, lives in hot, arid conditions and can survive for up to around 100 years. It is often said that the date palm grows with its feet in water and head on fire. It requires access to a water source below ground, such as an underground river, and hot temperatures of more than 50°C above ground to bear fruits. Despite its need for heat, this resilient plant can survive cold temperatures below 0°C and even withstand some frost, but only for a short periods. If cold temperatures persist, the tree will stop growing and its leaves will become damaged. Shahina Ghazanfar, a Science Research Leader at Kew Gardens, has been researching the possible origins of the date palm. She says, 'date palms are an important feature of the landscape of all Middle Eastern countries, both as a useful plant and as a landscape tree'. How the date palm sustains life in the desert. As a keystone species of oases agrosystems, the date palm can alter the microclimate of its desert environment. Its roots are long and deep, allowing space for other plants to grow around it, and its robust body protects them from sand blown by the wind. The date palm provides food and shelter for many creatures and people, whether that be local residents or those travelling through. A wild date plant found in Ganeshpuri, India. Small, pale yellow male and female flowers are borne in clusters on separate trees. They are pollinated mostly by the wind but also sometimes by insects. In modern agriculture, farmers use one carefully selected male flower to artificially pollinate a crop of 25-50 females. © Dinesh Valke/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0). The date palm has been in existence for around 50 million years. 'Stone tools and rock carvings discovered in the Nefud Desert in Northern Arabia show humans have been eating dates since the Middle Stone Age, which was about 200,000 years ago,' says Shahina. One of the most important events in human history is when people changed from hunting and gathering food to growing their own crops around 11,000 years ago. The date palm was one of the first plants to be cultivated and therefore plays a significant role in the start of modern civilisation. 'The date palm's fruits are sweet and nutritious - and ripe dates don't rot - making them one of the foods that ancient people could use and transport easily,' adds Shahina. Based on archaeological findings, the plant was most likely first domesticated in the Persian Gulf around 6,000 years ago, probably from wild populations found in Oman. 'Archaeobotanical evidence shows that date palms probably grew wild in several parts of the Near East, but these original populations have long been displaced by agriculture,' explains Shahina. 'Genetic evidence suggests that wild date palms still survive in Oman, and that the Arabian Peninsula was the region where date palms were first taken into cultivation.' Since then, the date palm has become the foundation of agriculture in the Middle East and North Africa. It's also been successfully introduced to other parts of the world, from Mexico and California to Pakistan and Turkey. The tree is an important source of food, material and commerce in desert life. Cultivating the plant has offered stable wealth and economic growth for populations living in hot climates for thousands of years. Today, Egypt is the world's largest producer of the fruit, exporting 1.7 million tonnes of dates in 2021. Other Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran follow closely. 'The fact that date palms can withstand a hot and dry climate and moderately saline soils and produce an abundance of sugary fruit that can be stored, has contributed much to the success of this species in the Middle East and North Africa,' says Shahina. A date palm tree in Burkino Faso, West Africa. The fruits change from green to yellow, brown, mahogany and black as they mature. © RBG Kew. The importance of dates in religion and culture. Dates hold significance in all three major religions.
Doum palm fruit health benefits
Date palm fruit benefits
Phoenix dactylifera medicinal uses
Uses of date palm fruit
Date palm: The cornerstone of civilisation in the Middle East and North Africa. The date palm has been around for millions of years and holds scientific, religious and cultural importance around the world. The date palm, Phoenix dactylifera , is an evergreen tree that belongs to the large and diverse palm family.
ENTER TO THE SITE
It grows up to 23 metres tall, lives in hot, arid conditions and can survive for up to around 100 years. It is often said that the date palm grows with its feet in water and head on fire. It requires access to a water source below ground, such as an underground river, and hot temperatures of more than 50°C above ground to bear fruits. Despite its need for heat, this resilient plant can survive cold temperatures below 0°C and even withstand some frost, but only for a short periods. If cold temperatures persist, the tree will stop growing and its leaves will become damaged. Shahina Ghazanfar, a Science Research Leader at Kew Gardens, has been researching the possible origins of the date palm. She says, 'date palms are an important feature of the landscape of all Middle Eastern countries, both as a useful plant and as a landscape tree'. How the date palm sustains life in the desert. As a keystone species of oases agrosystems, the date palm can alter the microclimate of its desert environment. Its roots are long and deep, allowing space for other plants to grow around it, and its robust body protects them from sand blown by the wind. The date palm provides food and shelter for many creatures and people, whether that be local residents or those travelling through. A wild date plant found in Ganeshpuri, India. Small, pale yellow male and female flowers are borne in clusters on separate trees. They are pollinated mostly by the wind but also sometimes by insects. In modern agriculture, farmers use one carefully selected male flower to artificially pollinate a crop of 25-50 females. © Dinesh Valke/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0). The date palm has been in existence for around 50 million years. 'Stone tools and rock carvings discovered in the Nefud Desert in Northern Arabia show humans have been eating dates since the Middle Stone Age, which was about 200,000 years ago,' says Shahina. One of the most important events in human history is when people changed from hunting and gathering food to growing their own crops around 11,000 years ago. The date palm was one of the first plants to be cultivated and therefore plays a significant role in the start of modern civilisation. 'The date palm's fruits are sweet and nutritious - and ripe dates don't rot - making them one of the foods that ancient people could use and transport easily,' adds Shahina. Based on archaeological findings, the plant was most likely first domesticated in the Persian Gulf around 6,000 years ago, probably from wild populations found in Oman. 'Archaeobotanical evidence shows that date palms probably grew wild in several parts of the Near East, but these original populations have long been displaced by agriculture,' explains Shahina. 'Genetic evidence suggests that wild date palms still survive in Oman, and that the Arabian Peninsula was the region where date palms were first taken into cultivation.' Since then, the date palm has become the foundation of agriculture in the Middle East and North Africa. It's also been successfully introduced to other parts of the world, from Mexico and California to Pakistan and Turkey. The tree is an important source of food, material and commerce in desert life. Cultivating the plant has offered stable wealth and economic growth for populations living in hot climates for thousands of years. Today, Egypt is the world's largest producer of the fruit, exporting 1.7 million tonnes of dates in 2021. Other Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran follow closely. 'The fact that date palms can withstand a hot and dry climate and moderately saline soils and produce an abundance of sugary fruit that can be stored, has contributed much to the success of this species in the Middle East and North Africa,' says Shahina. A date palm tree in Burkino Faso, West Africa. The fruits change from green to yellow, brown, mahogany and black as they mature. © RBG Kew. The importance of dates in religion and culture. Dates hold significance in all three major religions.
Doum palm fruit health benefits
Date palm fruit benefits
Phoenix dactylifera medicinal uses
Uses of date palm fruit