Dates Harvesting Season Begins in Iran

Date Palm is a flowering plant species in the palm family with edible, hard-core fruit, thin skin and a sweet taste. It has large cluster of hanging branches and leaves, and the tree reaches 2 to 5 metres or more in height.

Dates are rich in energy with 160 calories in 100 grams. They are also considered a good treatment to relieve chronic fatigue and anemia.

Dates are high in fibres and a nutrient source of potassium. This fruit is known to promote health and to protect the nervous system. It also prevents night blindness and promotes health.

The unripe fruit or dates are called “Kharak” and in Arabic they are called “Hababouk”. Rotab is the next stage after kharak before the dates are fully ripe with more moisture and less sugar.

Bam dates, which are harvested from gardens and palm trees in southern Kerman, especially in the city of Bam, are popular across the country and the world in a variety of forms.

Harvesting in Bam begins in four stages from late August to mid October. The gardeners, together with their families and relatives, shake the palm trees and collect the dates.

What follows are photos of the date harvest retrieved from Young Journalists’ Club (YJC):