Date palm trees have been prized for their various uses, not simply as a source for the date fruit. Their trunks have been used as both support for tents and as the framework for more elaborate dwellings, whose walls and flooring were created with the aid of woven palm tree leaf strips. Roofs have been created either by the use of woven leaves or by binding entire palm branches with ropes created by trimmed stalks from the trees. Many traditional objects can also be created using a variety of factors of the date palm tree

One of the most common uses of the date palm leaves is the creation of mats, baskets and even fans. This is carried out with the aid of the palm leaf strips that are soaked in water to make sure flexibility throughout the crafting period. Once dried, the strips keep their form for a lengthy time. Branches of palm trees have even been used as part of small fishing boats. This is accomplished via first soaking the branches before tying them together using the rope created from date palm tree stalks.

Afterwards, these stems are secured to wooden frames which are then combined into the boat form. Because the stems have a tendency to soak up water, the boats can never be used for long distance traveling. The trees and their fruit, the date, also are a supply of various foodstuffs, such as syrup, which is extracted from the trunk of the date palm tree and coffee made from grinding its seeds or combining ground date seeds and ground coffee. The seeds have additionally been used to create soap and Kohl [eye liner].

Ancient roots Date palm trees have a long and fertile history with humans, which is evident from findings such as the oldest found date seeds on Delma island in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Discovered in 1998, the oldest seed dates again to 5110 BC and the second oldest goes back to 4670 BC in accordance to radiocarbon tests. Because there was no proof of cultivation of date palm trees in the vicinity at that time, it is believed that the seeds came from traders.

In fact, dates and other products created from the fruit and tree have been traded widely in the historical world, even as the date palm tree was being cultivated in countries ranging from the Indus Valley (now Pakistan) to Mesopotamia (now Iraq), the Nile Valley, southern Persia, Eastern Mediterranean and the Horn of Africa. The date palm trees and their fruit were revered in these historical cultures; however, it received the best regard and recognition within Arab Islamic culture.