29 March 2016
Mushrif Central Park in Abu Dhabi can now proudly fly the prestigious Green Flag Award
Mother of the Nation Park, formerly Mushrif Central Park, in Abu Dhabi first opened to visitors back in 1982 and was originally exclusively for women and children. It is one of the oldest and largest urban parks in Abu Dhabi. In January 2013, the park was closed for 24 months for redevelopment.
The design of the new park honours the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and his vision for environmental conservation. Sustainability is a key focus of the park's new design and the redevelopment team had the challenge of salvaging over 200 existing mature trees. In order to accommodate the open spaces and building, many of these mature trees had to be carefully relocated, as they were seen as a great asset to the park.
Throughout the redevelopment of the park, a community engagement programme was carried out, bringing together community groups, government agencies and over 70 schools. This helped to establish important relationships within the community and they were able to share the redevelopment plans and involve them throughout the process.
Project Director, Tanuja Kothari from Al Ain Properties said;
"Working towards securing the Green Flag Award for Mushrif Central Park began during the early stages of park design and construction. We wanted to make sure that it met the required criteria for different award categories and we are delighted that we have finally secured this prestigious award. Mushrif Central Park is rapidly becoming an established community hub in Abu Dhabi and this award is testament to our commitment to making it a world-class destination."
Mushrif Central Park now houses the following:
- Animal Barn - enables young people to have a healthy appreciation and interaction with animals
- Children's Garden - an entire section of the park is devoted to its young visitors
- Wisdom Garden - honours the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and his dedication to environmental conservation
- Amphitheatre Venue - great for outdoor concerts and other public events
- Botanic Garden and Shade House - is an oasis within the park and also contains a calming natural pond
- Great Lawn - where a variety of activities are held from a game of football to more relaxing yoga classes
- Evening Garden - where visitors can enjoy a moment of calm or spend time reading or even working if they so wish
- Friends of the Park Pavilion - the ideal place to hold social gatherings, community group meetings, art exhibitions and much more
Since the park reopened at the start of this year, it has very much become the heart of the community and is now open and welcomes everyone from all communities. Being a Green Flag Award holder means a lot to the park, volunteers, friends groups and visitors.
Park Manager, Abdessalem Khabir from Mace Macro said;
"The Green Flag award is an acclaimed accolade that recognises best practices in managing green spaces. It has been a wonderful experience working closely with the judges and showcasing our beautiful park to them. I would like to thank the Green Flag Award management and judges for their time during the audit days, and the park's development and management team for making this award a possibility for Mushrif Central Park.''
Mushrif Central Park joins more than 1,600 other parks and green spaces internationally.
Please note: As of Monday 28 March, 2016, the name of Mushrif Central Park has been changed to Mother of the Nation Park in honour of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
