Safa Park (in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: حديقة الصفا) is a

urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...

located in

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. It is southwest of the traditional center of Dubai along

Sheikh Zayed Road E 11 () is a highway in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The longest road in the Emirates, it stretches from the Al Batha border crossing at the Saudi Arabia–United Arab Emirates border, Saudi Arabia–UAE border in Sila, Abu Dhabi, al-Silah in th ...

. The park is bordered by Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Wasl Road, Al Hadiqa Street, and 55th Street. Approximately half of the park was demolished in 2014 to create space for the Dubai Canal project.

History of Safa Park

Created in 1975, Safa Park was located on the outskirts of Dubai. Prior to its creation, the area was inhabited by

illegal immigrants Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...

from

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

. They lived in makeshift homes without running water. The Dubai government nowiki/>Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum">Mohammed_bin_Rashid_Al_Maktoum.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum">nowiki/>Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoumtolerated these illegal immigrants due to the need for their labor. The immigrants were later given amnesty and expelled from the immediate area for the creation of the park.

Development of Safa Park

After being a destination for Dubai's residents for nine years, the park went under redevelopment in 1984. Another redevelopment occurred between 1989 and 1992. The first redevelopment included the addition of sanitary utilities and an indoor playground. The latter development delivered recreational and service facilities to the park. Today Safa Park is almost in the center of the city and only from the

Burj Khalifa The Burj Khalifa (known as the Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration) is a megatall skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. With a total height of 829.8 m (2,722 ft, or just over half a mile) and a roof height (excluding the antenna, but inc ...

, from the

Emirates Towers The Emirates Towers () is a building complex in Dubai that contains the Emirates Office Tower and Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel, which are connected by a two-story retail complex known as "The Boulevard". The building is owned by Sheikh Moh ...

, and from the

Dubai World Trade Centre The Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) () is a convention and exhibition centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. History The Dubai World Trade Centre was originally a single tower, constructed in 1979, and has since been expanded into a business d ...

. Due to Dubai's rapid growth,

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

s are now approaching the park's doorstep. In 2014, the northeastern half of the park was fenced off and demolished, as part of the land clearance for the Dubai Water Canal project. Construction around the canal was still ongoing as of 2024, with the park's northeast edge fenced off from the canal.

Flora and Fauna of Safa Park

The park contains three lakes, over 200 species of birds, and 16,924 different trees and bushes. Within the park, is grass (which covers around 80% of the park), a small forest, and a hill. A waterfall flows out of the hill and into a nearby lake. There are four entrances to the park, all from nearby roads.

Dubai Fitness Challenge

Dubai Fitness challenge was inaugurated by Dubai Crown prince at time Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum. This fitness challenge lasted for one month and started on October 20, 2017. The challenge end on 18 November 2017. The park was closed for one week before challenge for preparation and renovation of park.

Sports in Safa Park

The park has sports activities like Long tennis, Cycling, Football and Volleyball.

Flea Market

Flea Market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously owned (secondhand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...

is open every first Saturday of the month in Safa Park. It a popular space where one can sell unusable items to other people who have use for them.

References

External links

Safa Park Details
{{Dubai topics 1975 establishments in the United Arab Emirates Parks in Dubai