Today's Edition
BATOOL GHAITH (ABU DHABI)
The narrow lanes of Abu Dhabi’s Mina Zayed dates market bustle with motion throughout the holy month of Ramadan. Shoppers weave from kiosk to kiosk. Stalls overflow with boxes of glossy brown dates, stacked high behind counters, while vendors carefully weigh purchases for eager customers.
For Emiratis and residents alike, dates are a symbol of hospitality and a link to centuries of tradition, especially during the holy month. Families often select several varieties at once: some destined for everyday iftar tables, others intended as gifts or welcome treats for guests.
Vendors in the market say the weeks of Ramadan are among the busiest of the year.
“Ramadan is when demand really rises, people come looking for the best-quality dates to serve at iftar or to offer to guests. Many customers buy in bulk, and they come back more than once during the month because dates are part of daily life during Ramadan,” Tarek Darweesh, a date shop vendor at Mina Zayed, told Aletihad.
Anwar Hamdan, another vendor, said the market does come alive during Ramadan mainly because it has long been part of the culture.
“It becomes extra special in Ramadan because Prophet Muhammad recommended breaking fast with dates,” he told Aletihad.
Demand for dates usually rises by at least 30% during this season, as “families of all nationalities come to buy them”, Darweesh said.
Hamdan said that apart from customers who purchase several boxes for daily consumption, there are also families who place orders for their loved ones abroad.
For vendors like Darweesh and Hamdan, Ramadan is not just a peak season for sales but a season that honours tradition and community. Customers, both local and expatriate, return time and again to select their favourite varieties, whether Khalas, Medjool or Sukkari.
“We make sure to provide all types because they are all in demand, not only for Ramadan but also for Eid and making ma’amool,” Darweesh said, capturing the rhythm of a season that is as much about heritage and hospitality as it is about the dates themselves.
