The date gardens were enlivened with pilgrims

Preparations for date palm harvest have begun in some regions of Saudi Arabia, where millions of people come for pilgrimage.

After the pilgrimage, millions of people who visit the tomb of our Prophet in Medina also take the most delicious treats from the date palm gardens in the city where there is more greenery to offer to those who will visit them in their countries.

Suleyman Uzunoglu, who has been engaged in date trade in Medina for years, provides the highest quality dates to the pilgrims and also takes care of the preparations for the harvest of hundreds of trees in the rented garden. Suleyman Uzunoglu has set up special stands at the Ottoman Date Garden at the foot of Mount Uhud to provide flawless service to 150,000 pilgrims annually. The top 3 date varieties preferred by pilgrims in terms of price, durability, and taste are mebrum, sugay, and acve. In addition to these dates, other Saudi Arabian dates such as amber, mecdul, and hudri are also available for sale depending on the season. Date prices vary according to size and freshness. Mebrum is sold for 20-40, sugay 25-50, acve and amber 30-65, mecdul 40-65, and hudri 25-40 riyals. Sukkari, on the other hand, finds buyers in 600-gram boxes for 6-10 riyals. The luggage allowance of 30 kg makes it difficult for those who buy a lot of dates. Pilgrims with a pilgrimage visa can receive cargo service with PTT cargo for 8 riyals per kilo (70 TL) with a delivery guarantee for the following week. Pilgrims usually shop for dates in Medina. Suleyman Uzunoglu mentioned that Turkish pilgrims prefer the mebrum type of dates for offering due to their thin shell and long shelf life, and they also purchase the acve dates, which the Prophet recommended for its healing purposes, to keep at home and experience the hadith.

Suleyman Uzunoglu, who stated that the date palm tree has a biological structure similar to humans and a unique feature of bearing fruit, said, ‘The date palm grows as male and female. The female date palm, which emits pollen, bears fruit with the fertilizing elements from male trees. It takes 5 years of care and watering for a date palm tree to bear fruit. The most productive period is considered to be between 15 and 45 years old.’