The Gift of the Date Palm Tree: Perspectives from Medicine, Agriculture, History, and Literature

The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) has shaped agriculture, medicine, and cultural heritage in the Middle East for millennia. Valued as a staple crop, source of healing, and cultural symbol, the palm continues to connect ecological, economic, medical, and literary traditions across the region. In contemporary nutrition, dates are considered a superfood – rich in fibre, antioxidants, and essential nutrients – while ancient knowledge highlights their resilience and healing properties.

This interdisciplinary lab combines multiple interactive formats to underscore the gift of the date palm tree: a panel discussion on current scientific and cultural research, literary readings that highlight the palm’s symbolic role, a poster presentation and exhibition of date-related products, and a world café centred on local GCC products. Through these diverse activities, participants engage with questions of genetic diversity, climate resilience, sustainable cultivation, economic impact, biomedical applications, and cultural representation.

By bringing together perspectives from medicine, agriculture, history, and literature developed in AGYA research projects combined with expertise from scholars of UoS and international academia, the session opens new pathways for understanding how the date palm links past and present knowledge systems, while also inspiring fresh ideas for future research and collaboration.

Interdisciplinary Labs: Sharing ideas and shifting perspectives for knowledge co-creation

Interdisciplinary Labs are interactive workshops where scholars and students as well as contributors from beyond academia explore real-word problems that require integrated perspectives. The goal is to initiate a creative dialogue across disciplinary and geographical borders along thought-provoking research questions and target-driven case-studies. The labs help navigate the challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration by their inclusive and hands-on environment that invites the participants to share and shift perspectives and to jointly develop innovative approaches towards complex issues. Encouraging curiosity, active participation, and equal contribution, the labs offer an immersive experience to foster new forms of knowledge co-creation and plant the seed for future research collaboration.

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Find an overview of all public events at the AGYA Annual Conference 2025 in Sharjah here.