by Sameer Ibrahim
Iraq is considered one of the countries with the most palm trees in the world, with around 22 million palm trees. Historians say that the cultivation of date palms began around 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia. As recently as the 1970s, there were more than 30 million palm trees in Iraq, but wars and neglect have reduced their numbers by millions.
The palm tree was sacred in ancient civilizations because of its vital importance. In the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad, there is a seal from the Akkadian period dating back to 2730 BC, depicting two men with a date palm between them. The famous Hammurabi Stele also contains seven laws relating to palm trees. One of these laws imposes heavy fines for cutting down a palm tree. Article 59 of the Hammurabi Stele states: „If a gentleman cuts down a date palm from another gentleman‘s property without the garden owner‘s consent, he must pay half a mine of silver as a fine.“ The mine was an old unit of measurement, half a mine was about 212 grams.
Iraq‘s hot climate contributes greatly to the growth of dates, especially in summer when temperatures often exceed 50 degrees Celsius. Due to the widespread palm groves and its proximity to the Arabian Peninsula, where there are no cultivated areas or trees, Iraq used to be known as the „Land of Blackness“. This seemed so strange to the Bedouins from afar that they saw the green as black.
The palm trees are used to produce dates, but the palm fibers are also used to make baskets and traditional hats. Palm fronds are used to make containers for transporting fruit and vegetables as well as light furniture such as chairs. The trunk of the felled palm is used to cover the roofs of rural houses.
The date palm is also mentioned in Iraqi folk wisdom. A well-known Iraqi proverb reads: „Long as a palm tree, but dumb as a goat.“ This proverb describes a person who is as tall as a palm tree but has little sense or strange behavior.
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Datteln. Foto: tuenews INTERNATIONAL / Brigitte Gisel.
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