Province
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Al-Hasa Date Palms
| Al-Hasa, meaning 'the wells' is an extraordinary oasis covering about 20,000 hectares and giving nourishment to three million palm trees in the largest date palm oasis in the world |
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The commercial date palm, Phoenix dactylifera, is thought to be the world's oldest cultivated fruit tree. Fossil records indicate that the date palm was common around the Mediterranean and in Mesopotamia as early as the Eocene epoch, some 50 million years ago. Dates have been growing in Al-Hasa for over 4000 years.
The date palm grows best between 15 and 35 degrees north latitude, primarily in the arid regions of North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and southern Iraq, where dates have been a staple food for millions of people over thousands of years.
Al-Hasa is particularly famous for the 'khalasah' date, known in Saudi Arabia as khlas, a name which loosely translates as 'quintessential' and is routinely voted as the 'Best Date in the World.' There are approximately 240 -360 varieties of dates, and the flavor or each variety is greatly influenced by the soil and weather conditions where they are grown.
Khlas, khunaizi, bukayyirah, gharr, shaishi and ruzaiz are the most popular dates from the Eastern Province. Nubout sayf, sufri, barhi, sukkari, sullaj and khudhairi are the dates which make Al-Qassim famous. In the west of the country, anbara, 'ajawa, rothanah, baidh, rabi'ah, barhi, hilwah, hulayyah, safawi, shalabi and sukkari are the dates of choice.
Dates also taste differently at different stages of their ripening, and each stage of ripening has it's own name: Bukayyirah are the earliest stages of ripening; Khalal, busr and saraban are different names for dates which are fully grown but still green; Balah dates are fully grown and colored; Rutab are usually defined by being light brown and very soft; and juicy Tamr dates are at the stage most likely to be found in shops. They are deep brown and sticky with sugary syrup, while tamr yabis dates have passed that point and are dry and lacking in dibs (syrup).
The last phase, hawheel refers to last year's dates which are usually dry, and crystallizing. The common saying for these different stages is: "The first for the amir, the last for the donkeys". Hawheel dates are often used for animal fodder.
'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger (pbuh) as saying: The ajwa dates of Aliya contain healing effects and these are an antidote in the early morning.
Dates are full of energy and nutrition. They contain vitamins A, C, B1, B2, and B3. They are also a good source of water, protein, sugar, calcium, phosphor, iron, sodium and potassium.
The date has a special place in the Quran where it's mentioned over 39 times. One date in particular, the Ajawa is noted for it's special healing qualities. It is a very sweet, chewy date which is excellent for toughening the gums of teething infants.
The most highly prized dates also include; Nabout Sayf which is a long date, shaped like a sword (sayf) from Riyadh; Sukkari - the "sweet one" from Al-Qassim; Anbar (or anbara) date from Madinah and the Khlas of Al-Hasa.
"It is He who sends down water from the sky, and brings forth vegetation of all kinds, and out of it brings forth green stalks, from which comes thick clustered grain. And out of the date-palm comes clusters of dates hanging low and near - and gardens of grapes, olives and pomegranates, each similar, yet different in variety and taste. Look at their fruits when they begin to bear, and the ripeness thereof. Verily! In these things there are signs for people who believe." (The Cattle)
In Al-Hasa you can find the Bulk Date Factory; the Date Palm Research Center, and heading north west from Al-Hofuf towards the palm groves, you'll find the Date souq |
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