For the Expo 2020 Dubai opening ceremony's final act, Al Wasl Plaza was transformed into a magical garden with dancers in fantastical costumes representing blossoming flowers. At the centre of the stage rose a huge silver and white ghaf tree, the UAE's national tree, as Grammy Award-winning Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli walked out to perform his rousing hit The Prayer.
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But what's the significance of the ghaf tree and why was it centre stage at the ceremony?
In the UAE, the ghaf, which goes by the scientific name prosopis cineraria, has cultural, historical and environmental significance. Declared as the national tree in 2008, the indigenous tree can tolerate harsh conditions and live for 120 years.
Scroll through the gallery below for pictures from the Expo 2020 Dubai opening ceremony:
Ghaf leaves and pods provided food in the past during famines and its nutritious branches were used to feed livestock. It is also said to have medicinal properties and the Bedouins would use ghaf trees for navigation.
The trees are particularly environmentally friendly because they are able to survive on very little water and help sustain other plant and animal life. Ghaf trees range from three to five metres, and its roots can go as deep as 30 metres, which is one of the reasons they are able to survive the harsh summer.
Salama, Expo 2020's ghaf tree
A lone ghaf tree at the Expo 2020 Dubai site, estimated to be more than 70 year old, was preserved when construction first began. In 2019, organisers released an animated film in its honour, detailing how it has endured the harsh desert conditions through changing times.
The short film shows Salama witnessing the country through the ages, starting with the UAE's unification in 1971 and concludes with it perched on a hill overlooking the site of Expo 2020.
"Salama grew on the land of the UAE and witnessed many generations over the years. Similar to its culture, she resisted and grew and flourished under all circumstances," reads a description on the Expo 2020 Dubai website.
Year of Tolerance logo
In 2019, which was declared the Year of Tolerance in the UAE, the ghaf tree was chosen as its logo.
"The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan [Founding Father of the UAE] gave great importance to the ghaf and issued laws and regulations prohibiting the cutting of the tree throughout the country," the Supreme National Committee of the Year of Tolerance said.
"Our ancestors and tribes gathered under the shadows of the ghaf trees to discuss their daily matters. Also, a number of UAE rulers used to meet their citizens and listen to their demands directly under the shadows of these trees. The ghaf tree symbolises stability and peace in the desert and has the ability to adapt in the desert."
An homage to Sheikh Zayed
Last year, a project to plant more than 2,000 ghaf trees to form Sheikh Zayed’s fingerprint in Abu Dhabi was announced.
The 2,082 trees will be planted on 36,000 square metres of land near Al Dhafra Camel Festival site, south-west of Abu Dhabi city, the Maitha Bint Ahmed Al Nahyan Foundation for Community and Cultural Initiatives said.
Sheikha Maitha bint Ahmed, the foundation’s chairwoman, said she chose to commemorate the UAE Founding Father in this way because of his passion for the environment.
Sheikh Zayed launched large programmes of tree planting in the 1970s and had hoped to turn the desert green to provide shade, and improve the appearance of the villages and make them more habitable.
The shape of the plantation was designed by Al Reef Design Company to symbolise Sheikh Zayed’s positive mark on the country. Once complete, the site will be open to visitors from around the world.
Children's book on ghaf tree
In 2019, Emirati businesswoman Hanadi Al Fahim used the country's national symbol to educate youngsters in heritage and history through her book The Little Ghaf Tree.
The illustrated book, published in English and Arabic, is intended to instil "in our children a love for our culture and environment, while educating them on the importance of preserving our environment and co-existing with nature and neighbours," she told The National.
"My admiration started in 2006 when we sponsored a campaign with Emirates Nature to save the ghaf tree and pave the way for it to be the national tree," she said. "Through this sponsorship, I learned about all the beautiful traits of this tree and decided to continue trying to inform people.
"When my nieces and nephews were born that is when it clicked for me and I felt like I wanted to pass on this information."
Planting a million ghaf trees
Fuel-delivery company Cafu in May launched an ambitious project to use drone technology to plant a million ghaf tree seeds across the UAE in an effort to combat climate change.
The two-year strategy will involve swarms of drones launching the seeds into the ground from a height of 10 metres.
The company has completed the first two rounds of the programme with drone seeding taking place in the Mleiha Desert in Sharjah.
“The key benefit we hope to create is to discover a new way to plant trees in a cost-effective way,” Cafu general manager Antonio Al Asmar told The National.
“We want to show that planting seeds by drone technology is a much more efficient method than using hundreds of people to do the same task.”
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Read more
Like every tree, the ghaf also tells a story – that of the UAE
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
'Of Love & War'
Lynsey Addario, Penguin Press
Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Copa del Rey
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Squad: Majed Naser, Abdulaziz Sanqour, Walid Abbas, Khamis Esmail, Habib Fardan, Mohammed Marzouq (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai), Khalid Essa, Muhanad Salem, Mohammed Ahmed, Ismail Ahmed, Ahmed Barman, Amer Abdulrahman, Omar Abdulrahman (Al Ain), Ali Khaseif, Fares Juma, Mohammed Fawzi, Khalfan Mubarak, Mohammed Jamal, Ahmed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Ahmed Rashid, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Wahda), Tariq Ahmed, Mahmoud Khamis, Khalifa Mubarak, Jassim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Yousef Saeed (Sharjah), Suhail Al Nubi (Baniyas)
THE POPE'S ITINERARY
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
The Lost Letters of William Woolf
Helen Cullen, Graydon House
