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Palm trees are all around you in the UAE. You may have them outside your house or school. Think about the various types of palm trees you see and how they are different. What do they look like and where have you seen them? If you’re in a group, discuss with others.

Palm trees are all around you in the UAE. You may have them outside your house or school. Think about the various types of palm trees you see and how they are different. What do they look like and where have you seen them? If you’re in a group, discuss with others.

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Dates, one of the world's oldest cultivated fruits, grow on palm trees in arid climates and are a sweet, and nutrient-dense food source. For thousands of years, people of the Arabian peninsula developed methods of storing and preserving them to provide year-long sustenance both in the desert and out at sea. In addition to being incorporated in a variety of traditional recipes, dates are an integral part of hospitality practices and are offered in Al Majlis as a sweet complement to Gahwa. In 2022, the date palm tree was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 
 
Related Elements
Al Majlis, Date Palms, Gahwa

Khoos is created by harvesting and preparing dried palm fronds which are then woven into many useful and decorative objects, including straw mats, fans, and baskets for transporting things like dates and other foods. To prepare the fronds, people would gather them, soak them in water, then dry them in the sun. The dried fronds can also be dyed with plant-based pigments to produce bright colors like purples, reds, and greens. Then they weave them together using an overlapping technique, with new strips being added along the way.  
Related Elements
Date Palm Tree

Weaving Khoos

Palm trees have many important roles in the daily lives of people in the UAE. From fruits to fronds, people use all parts of palm trees. Some examples include, Dates for nutrition, fronds for Khoos weaving, fibres for making ropes and trunks to build shelter.
 Choose one of the parts of the palm tree, either the fronds or the trunk, to create something.

<ul>
<li>"Create with palm fronds" activity guide</li>
<li>4-6 palm fronds in 25-30 cm length</li>
<li>Tape or glue</li>
<li>Scissors</li>
<li>Any additional materials you need for your design</li>
</ul>

For palm fronds

<ul>
<li>"Create with palm trunks" activity guide</li>
<li>Container to keep layers together (a used plastic bottle, for example)</li>
<li>Palm tree pieces such as trunk, fibres, peels, etc.</li>
<li>Any additional materials you need for your design</li>
</ul>

For palm trunks

Materials

Instructions

Palm trees have many important roles in the daily lives of people in the UAE. From fruits to fronds, people use all parts of palm trees. Some examples include, Dates for nutrition, fronds for Khoos weaving, fibres for making ropes and trunks to build shelter. 
 Choose one of the parts of the palm tree, either the fronds or the trunk, to create something.