Umm Al Emarat Park, previously known as Mushrif Park, is an urban park in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, in the United Arab Emirates, centrally located on 15th Street between Airport Road and Karamah Street. First opened in 1982, entrance to the park was originally exclusive to women and children, but it has since become accessible to all visitors. Over 80,000 students have visited the park through its partnerships with 400 UAE schools, with the aim of teaching the youth about the country's ecosystem, and heritage, and wildlife.

Design

The overall design of the new park honors the legacy of

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan ( ar, زَايِد بِن سُلْطَان آل نَهْيَان, Zāyed bin Sulṭān Āl Nahyān; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati politician, statesman, and philanthropist who served as ...

and his vision of preserving the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

cultural and natural history. The Design of the park was undertaken by the US engineering consultant S. A. Miro, Inc. when they acted as the lead consultant of the project from concept design phase until delivery and commissioning.

Renaming

The park was renamed Umm Al Emarat Park in honour of

Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union (GWU), Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF) and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood.

Facilities

The park contains a 1200 metre long running track, an amphitheater used for outdoor concerts and other public events such as movies, sports screening, cultural dances, music concerts or a community theatre performance, and multiple restaurants and food trucks. There is also an annual food festival to which many global and local celebrity chefs are invited, as well as musical acts. The Park also has a petting zoo featuring native animals such as camels as well as ponies, rabbits, tortoises, pygmy goats, and

emu The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus ''Dromaius''. The emu' ...

Awards

The Park was awarded the

Green Flag Award The Green Flag Award is an international accreditation given to publicly accessible parks and open spaces, managed under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, a UK Government department, by Keep Britain Tidy, ...

in 2016. In 2019, the Park broke the Guinness world record for the "most varieties of desserts on display".

References

{{coord, 24.4520, 54.3812, format=dms, type:landmark_region:AE, display=title Parks in the United Arab Emirates Tourist attractions in Abu Dhabi World record holders