Creating the world’s largest natural flower garden in the middle of the desert might seem like an impossible undertaking. But the UAE likes a challenge, and Dubai Miracle Garden has managed to prove it can be done.
It is located in Al Barsha South, which was even farther “out in the desert” when the garden was created in 2011 but is mostly now a sprawl of construction.
As you enter the lush garden, your senses are dazzled by a psychedelic mirage of flowers. A staggering 60 million of them have been planted on frames to create lifelike structures creating a 72,000-square-metre horticultural wonderland.
Imagine if Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory was set in an English country garden, and given the added trappings of a Katy Perry music video – then you might come close to the feel of the Miracle Garden.
This season’s giant floral structures include peacocks, ostriches, cars, a box of popcorn, a boat, a castle, the houses of a village, a clock, a pink bow hat, and a model of the Burj Khalifa. And of course, no floral setting would be complete without the occasional cheeky garden gnome.
The advantage of the Miracle Garden over competing tourist attractions is that it gets completely revamped each year. It closes for six months in the summer, during which time the withering annual flowers are sent to the fertiliser factory and recycled as organic fertiliser for Dubai Municipality. Then new saplings are nurtured, and the garden reopens in November with entirely new displays of blooming masterpieces.
This coming November, Abdel Naser Rahhal, the garden’s Jordanian co-founder and creator. promises a high-tech twist: rotating flowers.
“We have a pioneering design that no one in the world has ever done before with flowers,” he says. “We will instal machines in the ground that will make the displays move, to change the designs automatically. It will be something amazing.”
Finding plants tough enough to survive the arid desert climate is a process of trial and error, he explains.
“Because of the temperature extremes, our roses didn’t give continuous blooming,” he says.
“And this year, geraniums across the world have been hit by a bacterial disease.”
Up to 45 varieties of flowers can be found in the garden – the most common of which are petunias, marigolds and verbenas – cared for by a team of almost 200 gardeners. The garden probably rivals the view from the top of the Burj Khalifa for being the most photographed spot in Dubai – the experience feels like kitsch pop culture at its wackiest.
Dubai Butterfly Garden is part of the same complex but requires a separate ticket. This indoor attraction is open all year round. Each of its four giant climate-controlled domes contains 15,000 exotic butterflies from countries all over the world, including the Philippines, Thailand and Costa Rica. It gives visitors a rare chance to ponder the marvels of Mother Nature, in a delightfully peaceful setting.
The domes also contain 120 species of tropical plants and ponds with large koi fish.
The blue morpho butterflies are the highlight for most visitors, says garden manager Jonah Fabalena.
“People always love it when they open up, so you can see the brilliant jet-blue colour in their wings,” she adds.
Fabalena explains that each breed of butterfly has its own unique character.
“The blue morphos are very territorial – they chase other butterflies away from their females,” she says. “The leaf butterfly stays very still, pretending to be a leaf, and the black-and-white ones are called paper kite butterflies, because they’re very slow flyers.”
The garden closes at 7pm but it is worth staying until the Sun sets to see the owl butterflies, with their large eye-like wing patterns, become more active.
You can also request a visit to the hatching room, where various pupas are kept in cases until they hatch, after which they spend their full seven- to 21-day life cycle in the domes.
• Dubai Butterfly Garden opens at 9am, last entry is at 6pm; tickets cost Dh50. Dubai Miracle Garden is open 9am to 9pm on weekdays, and until 11pm on weekends; tickets cost Dh40 for adults, Dh30 for children, free for ages 2 years and under.
artslife@thenational.ae
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
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Scoreline
Ireland 16 (Tries: Stockdale Cons: Sexton Pens: Sexton 3)
New Zealand 9 (Pens: Barrett 2 Drop Goal: Barrett)
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Match info
Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')
West Ham United 0
IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Small%20Things%20Like%20These
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Tim%20Mielants%3Cbr%3ECast%3A%20Cillian%20Murphy%2C%20Emily%20Watson%2C%20Eileen%20Walsh%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Qalandars 109-3 (10ovs)
Salt 30, Malan 24, Trego 23, Jayasuriya 2-14
Bangla Tigers (9.4ovs)
Fletcher 52, Rossouw 31
Bangla Tigers win by six wickets
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.