THE DATE PALM

The eminent botanist and palaeontologist, Warda Bircher, was born and raised by her Swiss parents in Egypt. She has devoted her life to the study of the date palm, and this is her beautifully illustrated homage. Here Bircher examines the date palm's extraordinary properties as a natural phenomenon and delves deeply into its inspirational role in religions, myths, arts and handicrafts of past civilizations, up to the present day. This passionately written book is the fruit of years of research and intimate experience.