Emirati poet Hamad Sarhan Al Darie and his partner friend Salem Rebhi Al Silawi have submitted an entry to the Guinness World Records for "the largest artificial date in the world".
Al Darie and Al Silawi - both based in Abu Dhabi and hope to see the emirate recognised in the Guinness World Records with this achievement - have completed the design and installation of what they hope is the largest artificial date in the world.
They recently received preliminary approval for the project after submitting the artificial date's specifications to the Guinness World Records' Organising Committee.
Speaking about the project, Al Darie said: "The idea to design the largest artificial date in the world - and possibly get Abu Dhabi mentioned in the Guinness World Records - was inspired by the historical and ongoing importance of the real date fruit in the UAE and Gulf region, not only as a source of food, but as a vital part of the region's customs, traditions and social values".
The artificial date, which took seven months to complete at a cost of Dh1.7million, is 10.5m wide, 6m tall and 5m in depth.
The massive date - which was built in three phases - is hollow on the inside and can accommodate up to 20 people.
The first stage of the date's construction saw 15 main workers putting in nine hours a day for two and a half months and using six tonnes of iron for the date's foundation.
The second phase saw the 15 creators put in 810 hours of work, placing 600kg of fibreglass material on the outside of the date, while the third phase involved dyeing and installing the date, which took 24 days to complete. Emirates Business
