The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) has long been one of the most important fruit crops in the arid regions of the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, and the Middle East.

Date is one of the oldest known crops under cultivation. A record from Iraq (Mesopotamia), shows that date culture was likely established as early as 3000 BCE, or over 5,000 years ago. Date cultivation was a crucial influence on the history of the Middle East. Without dates, no large human population could have been supported in the desert regions. Caravan routes existed for centuries primarily for the transportation of dates.

Dates had great spiritual and cultural significance to the people of the Middle East. Date palms and culture are depicted in ancient Assyrian and Babylonian tablets, including the famous Code of Hammurabi, which contained laws pertaining to date culture and sales.

The Spanish were the first to introduce date palms to America.

PHOTOS: Jean-Paul Boerekamps – no rights reserved (CC0)