In fact, during the festival, the organisers, Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, together with the local municipality, are holding lectures for farmers to instruct them on the best, 'کcleanest' practices for producing dates.

Dates are not what the festival is all about.

Some 160 stalls are set in the 'کsouk' tent, short prom dresses traditional Emirati handicrafts, as well as date syrup, cakes, sweets and, of course, fresh ratab dates.

Shaikh Hamdan's leisurely tour of the souk reinforced the quality and value of these products, not just for local connoisseurs, but foreign visitors looking for souvenirs.

Most of these handicrafts like palm woven mats, Sexy Prom Dresses with incense, hand-mixed oil perfumes and Arabic dresses, are made by members of the Liwa Women Association, whose mission is to preserve local handicrafts.

In addition, local heritage displays are set up in the festival, anything from palm frond houses to Bedouin tent living, andthe best 15 of them will be crowned on July 18 with awards starting from Dh2000 to Dh15,000.
German supermodel Claudia Schiffer's first cashmere collection will be coming to the Gulf region as part of an exclusive tie-up with a local retailer.The collection, which was launched during Haute Couture fashion week in Paris, will be available in Boutique 1 stories in Dubai, Strapless Prom Dresses Dhabi and Qatar, as well as Beirut.The model has created a joint-venture with the German maker of luxury cashmere sweaters Iris von Arnim. She invested her personal funds in the company of which she owns half.Valentin von Arnim, managing director of Iris von Arnim, said the retail strategy of the Claudia Schiffer brand was to sell to retailers in given cities on an exclusivity basis.For example, Colette in Paris, Harvey Nichols in Britain and Hong Kong, Boutique 1 in Dubai, Beirut, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, The Corner Berlin in Germany.Arnim told Reuters the sweaters had been bought by about 50 stores worldwide and would also be on sale next week at online retailer net-a-porter, now controlled by luxury group Richemont.Schiffer's collection includes long tube black and navy blue dresses, grey oversized cardigans and cable-knit sweaters costing from 250 to 500 euros ($360-$725).Schiffer, who lives in Britain, said Bridesmaid Dresses her brand was a "dream come true"."I don't want this to be a celebrity line. It is meant to be a lasting business not a quick celebrity licensing line," Schiffer told Reuters.Initially spotted for her resemblance to Brigitte Bardot, Claudia Schiffer began her career in the late 1980s and quickly joined the supermodel elite alongside Linda Evangelista, Elle Macpherson, Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell.Having appeared on the cover of more than 500 magazines, she is one of the world's most successful and most enduring of the supermodels with a fortune estimated at more than $50 million.