How do we know this? Date stones are regularly found during archaeological digs in North Africa and the Arabian Gulf, where the fruit has formed part of the regular diet for thousands of years.

According to local vendors, dates have become the top-selling fruit in Ramazan ... popular date varieties include Arabian dates, Sindhi Aseel, Karblain, Irani Rabai, and others.

Saudia Cargo has reported a rise in date volumes over the past year on the back of rising demand for the fruit from Saudia Arabia ...