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UAE
garden that set Guinness World Record shut down
Sunday December 05, 2010 05:06:55 PM,
IANS
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Abu Dhabi:
A garden in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that made it to the
Guinness World Record for having the maximum number of hanging
baskets has been shut down as its creators were upset with
visitors who plucked flowers and stole plants.
The garden is in Al Ain, an oasis city located about 160 km east
of Abu Dhabi.
The Al Ain Paradise Garden was shut while employees at Akar
Landscaping, the firm that built and designed the garden, put in
place new security measures.
Abdelnasser Rahhal, a Jordanian who designed the garden and is
co-owner of the landscaping company, said he was not aware about
what let visitors to turn destructive.
"You know, in some cases it could simply be that when a couple go
to the garden the husband picks a flower and gives it to his wife
as a romantic gesture that they think is harmless," The National
quoted Rahhal as saying.
"But when someone uproots an entire plant and it simply
disappears, I can only assume that it was taken from here to be
planted in someone's garden," he rued.
Rahhal said that he would be hiring security guards and installing
cameras to monitor things.
"Once the new measures are in place, it will be reopened," he
said.
The gardens were thrown open in March last year in a 7,000 square
metre area. The official Guinness count states that it features
2,426 plants that were imported from countries around the world,
including Italy, Uganda, the US and Japan.
Rahhal said that Dh5 million was spent in building it and he had
seen it suffer "constant damage" ever since.
"It takes months for the flowers to grow and as soon as they begin
to show, people start picking them before the stalk has fully
bloomed. I remember a little boy accompanied by his parents
stepping on the flowers while they looked on. They just let him
walk freely without any consideration for the fact that someone
worked long and hard to create a beautiful space for all to
enjoy."
Locals residents are upset with the garden's closure.
"I jog three times a week...and take a break at Paradise Gardens
before heading back to the university campus in Falaj Hazaa
(district)," Nayef Hamad, a 22-year-old engineering student at the
UAE University, was quoted as saying in the paper.
He said he was disappointed to learn about the garden's closure.
"I don't understand why people have to be selfish and ruin it for
everyone else. It's sad and disappointing. Someone should be held
accountable for this."
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