A Date with Iraqi Dates

Celebrating Iraq’s favorite fruit

By Adhid Miri, PhD

Perhaps the most celebrated tree in the world, the date palm is the eternal daughter of Iraq. It is everywhere, part of life that one can see in almost every picture taken there, old and new.

Not only do date palms make beautiful statements in any landscape, but they have also long been honored in religious and cultural traditions. The significance of date palms in ancient culture crosses all boundaries. Throughout the Middle East, the versatile date fruit has been revered since antiquity.

I feel privileged to have had a Zahdi palm tree in our home garden in Baghdad.

History

The date palm tree was one of the first plants to be cultivated and therefore, played a significant role in the start of modern civilization. It was used as a food source and known for providing high-fuel fruit, shade from the desert sun, and material for constructing tools and dwellings. The tree eventually became a symbol of prosperity and fertility in the Middle East and is often credited with playing a significant role in the proliferation of the human population.

Archaeologists have discovered 5,000-year-old written records of palm trees planted along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. According to a Persian proverb, the date palm tree offered 360 uses, including lumber and building supplies, mattresses, needle and thread, rope, basket weaving and other household items, medicinal and healing methods, and of course, food and drink.

When laws were issued in ancient Mesopotamia, some of their provisions were specific to this tree to preserve and benefit from it. The Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians considered the palm tree blessed and sacred, and their kings were very interested in photographing themselves with the palm tree.

Cuneiform sources classify many varieties of dates, exceeding seventy, sometimes mentioning the varieties by the names of their locations. The Babylonians and Assyrians included dates in some medical prescriptions and in powders and poultices.

The Code of Hammurabi, a Babylonian legal text composed during 1755–1750 BC, codified several of its articles to protect the cultivation and maintenance of palm trees. Article 59 of the code stipulates that anyone who cuts a single palm tree will be fined half a mina of silver.

Regarding palm pollination, Article 64 stipulates that if an owner entrusts a farmer to pollinate palm trees in his orchard and take care of them, he must hand over two-thirds of the crop to the owner of the orchard and take one-third for himself. As for Article 65, it stipulates that if the farmer neglects to pollinate palm trees and causes a decrease in the yield, he must pay a fine.

The ancient Sumerians believed the palm was the first tree ever created, and that it was tended by a godly raven. The Roman chronicler Pliny the Elder believed the date palm to be the nesting site of the phoenix, the self-incinerating, self-resurrecting bird of myth.

The Tree of Life is one of the most important symbols that people have used for centuries to explain the realms of life and the afterlife and imagine the universal cycle. The date palm tree was considered the “tree of life” in desert cultures. It is associated with fertility and life.

Tradition

Date palms hold great significance in Abrahamic religions. The palm represents peace and plenty in Judaism and is mentioned more than 50 times in the Bible and 22 times in the Quran, demonstrating its ability to cross cultures.

The palm tree was heavily cultivated as a food source in the holy land, but their uses are many. In Ancient Rome, the palm fronds were used in triumphal processions to symbolize victory. It was even a Roman unit of measurement and was a popular garden plant in Roman gardens, though it would not bear fruit in the more temperate climate of Italy.

The New Testament describes Palm Sunday, the Christian holiday marking Jesus’s entry into the city in the days before he was crucified. Jesus was greeted by followers who carpeted his path with palm fronds, a scene echoed every year by thousands of Christians carrying fronds through the alleys of the Old City.

Jewish tradition has this to say about the tree: “A righteous person will flower like a date palm.” The verse in Psalms explains that like the date palm, the righteous grow straight and sustain others with their fruit.

In the Quran, Allah instructs Maryām (the Virgin Mary) to eat dates during labor pains when she gives birth to Isa (Jesus). In Islamic culture, dates and yogurt or milk are traditionally the first foods consumed for Iftar after the sun has set during Ramadan.

Growing Season

The fruit of the date is oval-shaped and about the size of a large grape. It starts green and turns brown as it ripens, and it’s usually harvested in the August-September months.

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 for long periods has contributed much to the success of this species. Commonly grown in countries such as Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Tunisia, Morrocco, and Algiers, an estimated 60% of all date palms are grown in the Middle East and North Africa.

The date palm has become the foundation of agriculture in that region. It’s also been successfully introduced to other parts of the world, from Mexico and California to Pakistan and Turkey.

The date palm was brought to Spain by the Moors; the Spanish then introduced the tree to the Americas. In the U.S., dates are grown in Southern California, Southwestern Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada. In Southern California, it is not unusual to see tall date palm specimens providing shade in the parking lots of convenience stores and fast-food restaurants.

Date palms are not indigenous to North America. The first date palms in California were grown from date seeds planted at the Franciscan and Jesuit missions in Southern California during the late 1700s.

The first offshoots of named date palm varieties from the Old World that survived to maturity in California were imported mostly from Algeria, Egypt, and Iraq in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Most of these early date palm offshoot imports were of the Deglet Noor variety, with smaller imported quantities of the Old World-named date palm varieties such as Barhi from Iraq and Majdool (Medjool) from Morrocco.

Date palms are also grown in some areas of Mexico and South America, as well as in Australia, Western China, Western India, and Southern Pakistan. According to the World Food and Agricultural Organization, there are an estimated 100 million date palm trees worldwide.

Date palm trees are famous for producing delicious and nutritious dried fruit that has been a staple food in the Middle East for thousands of years. If you see a palm tree with clusters of fruit hanging from it, chances are it’s a date palm tree.

Kinds of Dates

Dates are highly nutritional, and many believe them to be one of nature’s most perfect foods. They are fat-free, cholesterol-free, and very low in sodium. Dates also are high in carbohydrates, and as an excellent source of quick energy, they are helpful to people suffering from anemia and fatigue. They also act as natural laxatives.

Nothing beats eating fresh dates. When date season arrives, each date palm produces an abundance of fruit. Having more dates than can be consumed, mothers make Dibbs (date syrup/molasses) at home and place a few containers of fresh dates in the freezer to ensure a continuous supply all year round. People of the Middle East have consumed the fruit of the date palm for thousands of years as part of their diet.

There are hundreds of named varieties of date palm trees worldwide, producing nearly 1,000 varieties of dates. Iraq has over 500 types of dates; however, only a few dozen are well known.

Among the most famous date palm varieties today is the large soft Madjool date, but the most widely grown date is the Barhi date palm. A couple of the other popular date palm varieties that are available in California are the Zahidi date palm and the Halawi date palm. Each of these date palm varieties produces delicious dates with distinct differences in sweetness, flavor, size, and moisture content.

Dates are classified as soft, semi-dry, and dry. Dry dates are commonly used in the Middle East for everyday consumption. The sweeter dates are used as a dessert in the Middle East as well as in the United States.

Most of these old-world date palm varieties are thousands of years old, passed down from generation to generation by removing and planting off-shoots. Other famous varieties besides Barhi and Majdool are Ashrasi, Halawi, Hayani, Khadrawi, Khastawi, Al-Sayer, Barban, Breem, Al-Maktoum, Zahidi, Sukkari, Omrani.

Most date varieties are eaten at the fully mature stage, although some of the very soft varieties like the Barhi and Halawi dates are also eaten at an earlier stage, when they are sweet and crunchy. The date fruit takes about six months to ripen completely.

Barhi

The Barhi date is very sweet and soft. This relatively small but very popular date variety is also one of the few edible dates while still hard and crunchy. Late August and early September are the first annual dates with this fresh delicious date.

Originally from Al-Barha in Basra, Iraq, and introduced to other parts of the world including California, Arizona, and Florida in the United States, this date is amazingly delicious, soft, and super sweet like honey.

Barhi date palms are highly sought after and relatively few new off-shoots are available each year. As a result, Barhi date palm offshoots tend to be one of the most expensive; they are often not available at any price.

Majdool

Among the sweeter date varieties is the majdool (medjool), which is considered by many to be the “king of dates.” The madjool date was once reserved only for the royal family of the Sultan of Morocco. This amazing date palm variety was first imported into the U.S. from the Bou Denib Oasis in Morocco in 1927.

The Jordan Valley area in Jericho is one of the most popular areas to produce madjool dates in the world, due to the availability of all the conditions for its cultivation, such as the hot dry climate, dry soil, high-salinity water, and vast areas for planting and growing.

The madjool palm tree needs 3-5 years to produce a crop of economic value. Madjool dates are divided into several types, ranging in weight, price, and popularity. The greater the weight of the madjool, the higher its price. This therefore gives the Palestinian date a special advantage, as it has become considered a luxury product that goes to high-end markets, including the most famous luxury hotels and international airports.

The medjool date is most well-known for its unusually large size and its delicious flavor. It can grow to about three inches long, and even though it is classified as a soft date the medjool date is firmer and more resilient than most other soft dates and it handles much better as well, making it a great choice for commercial production.

Medjool date palms are also very popular for landscaping because of their regal appearance and full canopy. Fresh-picked medjool dates are available each year in late September and October, organically grown in many tropical oases in California.

Other uses

Aside from its delicious fruit, the date palm tree is used for a variety of purposes worldwide. Although people in the Middle East have used the date palm as a main food source for at least 1,000 years, it is only in the last several hundred years that it has become a global commodity.

The date palm tree offers fruit, fiber, sheltering material, and fuel, demonstrating its versatility and great importance. The leaves of a date palm are sometimes used for fencing, thatched roofs, and in religious ceremonies. Due to their natural strength and durability, the midribs of the leaves are strong enough to make crates, furniture, and baskets. The leaflets can be combined to make mats, fans, and hats when sewn together. Date palms are also extremely popular in landscape designs for commercial buildings. They are also a major source of food for animals (especially camels).

Future of Dates in Iraq

Once known as the “country of palm trees,” home to over 600 varieties of dates, Iraq’s production of dates has been blighted by decades of conflict and environmental challenges, including drought, desertification, and salinization. The Iraqi Barhi—the king of the Mesopotamian dates—and its majestic tree are being uprooted and stripped and vast lands of palm groves are being converted to residential development.

According to the World Sensorium/Conservancy, in the 1950s, Iraq had more than 33 million date palm trees, nearly five times the country’s population of 7 million people. Today, there are less than 9 million trees. Efforts are being made to revive the fortunes of a fruit that forms a vital part of the country’s economy and culture.

It is useful to remember that the price of a barrel of oil is now $75, while the price of a barrel of Barhi prime dates is estimated at more than $200 when sold in international markets. It is tragic to witness Iraq’s opportunities squandered in the international arena.

A recent study shows Iraq’s potential: If Iraq would plant 150 million palm trees from Ramadi to Basra, it would generate $12 billion annually for Iraq and will employ up to 500,000 agricultural and food manufacturing professionals. According to the study, the temperature of Iraq would decrease by up to 7 degrees Celsius.

The future is hopeful. The non-profit Nakhla is an Iraqi agrotech social enterprise that provides care services for date palm trees in exchange for a subscription fee and a share of the harvest. Nakhla, which means “palm” in Arabic, contracts with a homeowner to provide the full cycle of agricultural services—pruning, pollination, branch bending, and harvesting—for the date palms. Absent these services, the trees do not produce significant amounts of fruit, so the proposition works for both parties. According to their website, Nakhla offers a sliding scale contract as they are compensated with both subscription fees and a percentage of the fruit, which is returned cleaned and packaged.

Today, the palm tree might not have as much importance to the survival of humanity or the religious significance it once had, but it remains a cultural touchstone. In America, the palm is often associated with a laid-back lifestyle and is used by marketers who wish to associate their products and services with relaxation, calmness, and vacations.

The date palm continues to be important in modern-day Mesopotamia, aka Iraq, as well. One of the most famous folk songs from Iraq is “Fog Al-Nakhal/ Above the Date Palms.” A popular saying in Basra is, “Dates do not betray their taste.”

After reading these interesting facts about palms, you may be inclined to purchase a palm of your own and add this centuries-old, magnificent tree to your landscape design and years of culture to your surrounding space. As a matter of fact, every Iraqi resident or immigrant should plant a palm tree or a seedling in Iraq, nurture it, and visit it at least once a year.

Sources: Smithsonian magazine, Nurgül Çelebi , Nithya Venkat Tammana Begum, Wikipedia, Melissa H. Friedman, Michael G. Andreu, Heather V. Quintana, Mary McKenzie, Athar Alrafedain, Marcin Z. Paszke, Prof. Dr. Wathiq Al-Salihi, Yadid Levy, Matti Friedman.

Captions:

Date trees grow on the banks of a river in Basra, Iraq.

Barban dates grow in bunches on the tree.