Khalifa Park opens on first day of Eid

Khalifa Park opens on first day of Eid
By Rayeesa Absal, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: October 10, 2007, 00:22

Abu Dhabi: The much-awaited Khalifa Park will open at 5pm on the first day of Eid as a gift to residents of the capital city.

The park is 1-kilometre long by half a kilometer wide and has cost Dh220 million to create. The park has been designed on a 'parks within a park' concept to cater to society as a whole.

The contemporary design of the park brings together the best principles of landscaping and innovative architecture encompassing aspects such as environmental conservation, culture, heritage, art and theatre, theme park, gardens and much more.

Khalifa Park, located on the Eastern Ring Road, has a National History Museum and Maritime Museum for educational purposes. The museum will feature details of a civilisation that existed in and around Umm Al Nar region for over 5,000 years.

Also glimpses from ancient times depicting the daily life of historical cultures will take visitors through a time travel tunnel. The 'Time Tunnel' ride makes you travel on a monorail through a living history with all the sights sounds and smells of an era past.

A serpentine route, a long green strip providing an array of activities with shaded corridors and seating areas, runs through the park.

On either side of the park's Grand Avenue are jewel gardens, palm oasis gardens, water gardens with different types of water displays like musical fountains, waterfalls, computerised water display and cascades. Islamic gardens have been created within the park following traditional designs.

There are also demonstration gardens that highlight the use of plants for decoration and beauty, for food production and commercial purposes.