29 March 2016
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.