For the Expo 2020 Dubai opening ceremony’s final act, Al Wasl Plaza was transformed into a magical garden with dancers in fantastical costumes representing blossoming flowers. At the centre of the stage rose a huge silver and white ghaf tree, the UAE’s national tree, as Grammy Award-winning Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli walked out to perform his rousing hit The Prayer.
In the UAE, the ghaf, which goes by the scientific name prosopis cineraria, has cultural, historical and environmental significance. Declared as the national tree in 2008, the indigenous tree can tolerate harsh conditions and live for 120 years.
Ghaf leaves and pods provided food in the past during famines and its nutritious branches were used to feed livestock. It is also said to have medicinal properties and the Bedouins would use ghaf trees for navigation.
The trees are particularly environmentally friendly because they are able to survive on very little water and help sustain other plant and animal life. Ghaf trees range from three to five metres, and its roots can go as deep as 30 metres, which is one of the reasons they are able to survive the harsh summer.
