Giant portrait created in Dubai desert to mark Kuwait's National Day

UAE gives Kuwait a unique gift of a gigantic sand portrait

A sand portrait of Kuwaiti emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed is etched into the desert in Dubai to mark the country's National Day and Liberation Day this week. Courtesy Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Twitter

The UAE has paid tribute to its fellow Gulf state Kuwait, ahead of its liberation and national days, with messages from the rulers of the Emirates and a giant sand portrait of the country’s emir.

On Sunday, President Sheikh Khalifa led congratulatory messages to Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed with the rulers of the remaining emirates sending similar greetings.

Last week, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, revealed a portrait of Sheikh Sabah etched across 15,800 square metres of the emirate’s desert, near Al Qudra Lakes, as tribute.

"Our love for Kuwait and the Kuwaiti people is engraved into our ground, engraved in our hearts and engraved in our history," Sheikh Mohammed said in a tweet.

Wishing the Kuwaiti people and its leadership a happy National Day, he called Sheikh Sabah the "prince of humanity in glory and peace".

Sheikh Mohammed accompanied his wishes with a video of the portrait being etched into the ground. The background music is a poem, written by Sheikh Mohammed, about his love for Kuwait, and sung by famed Emirati singer Hussain Al Jasmi.

The artistic tribute, named Prince of Humanity, took more than 2,400 hours to create.

The portrait was created to mark Kuwait's  two-day celebration: National Day on Monday and Liberation Day on Tuesday.

National Day celebrates Sheikh Abdulla Al Sabah's accession to the throne in 1961. It was originally celebrated on June 19, when Kuwait gained independence from the British, but the date was moved due to concerns over summer heat.

And Liberation Day celebrates the anniversary of the end of the first Gulf War, when Kuwait was officially liberated from Iraq.

Kuwait's National Day will be celebrated in many parts of UAE, with fireworks dotting the skies as well as food and entertainment.