«Hatta honey». With the sweetness of 5000 queens

Nestled by the towering Hajar Mountains and the picturesque nature of the Hatta tourist area – one of Dubai's 'destinations' – the Bee Garden and Discovery Centre was established in late 2018.

In Hatta, honey production is one of its oldest industries as it is famous for producing the finest honey, and the Hatta Honey Garden is the first garden in the MENA region to offer tours, workshops and events to enable visitors to discover the amazing world of honey bees.

This natural tourism destination covers an area of 16,300 square meters and contains 4000 of the <>,<> beehives owned by Hatta Honey across the UAE. It is home to hundreds of perennial wild trees such as Samar, Ghaf and Sidr.

The park produces between 20 and 25 tonnes per season, and lasts about two months. The park is located in the middle of a natural area, producing approximately 5000,<> queens a year. The queens initially came from Italy and gradually evolved into an Arab-European hybrid (Carlyon bees from the Alps) and needed more time due to the difference between cold and hot environments.

Since opening its doors, the Hatta Bee Garden has been keen to educate thousands of visitors about the region's rich history of beekeeping, praising the essential role that bees and other pollinators play in protecting biodiversity, contributing to food security, and highlighting the importance of preserving these creatures by moving towards sustainable beekeeping.

For his part, the guide of the introductory tours inside the bee garden, Abdul Aleem Al-Genius, said that the productivity of honey in Hatta varies according to the types of trees, and the UAE is one of the countries distinguished from European countries, as the trees in the country provide more intensive and quality honey production than others, pointing out that the success of the process of producing queen bees locally is an important step that contributes to advancing and developing the honey production sector in Hatta, because of the guarantee of the sustainability of this industry, and the ability to develop it in line with the circumstances. Environmental in the state, coexistence with climatic nature.

He noted the presence of hybrid species of local bees and their Omani, Saudi and Egyptian counterparts, to reach hybrid generations that can adapt to the environment and difficult conditions, pointing out that they produce the best types of wild honey, which is found in fertile days in the pastures, especially from Samar, Sidr and Ghaf trees, in addition to mangroves and wild flowers.

He stressed the keenness on the sustainability of bees by providing the necessary environment to maintain the health of bees, and the bees «Abu Tuwaiqa» is one of the finest types of local honey that is found in mountain ranges and farms.

On the importance of Emirati honey, which is distinguished by its valuable nutritional and marketing properties, Al-Genius pointed to the importance of Emirati honey, especially local Samar honey, which is rich in nutrients beneficial to the body such as zinc, potassium, and magnesium, and has a strong effect in getting rid of respiratory problems, fighting emerging viruses, maintaining the integrity of organs such as the heart and kidneys, and improving their functions.

The Dubai Destinations campaign was launched by the Dubai Media Council for the first time in September 2021, and its second winter season continues under the patronage of Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office, with the aim of putting Dubai's main destinations in the spotlight, whether entertainment, cultural, sports and creative, as well as encouraging entrepreneurs and small projects that provide services in those destinations, to contribute to their success and development, confirming that Dubai is the place where dreams turn into achievements.