A number of dignitaries attended the event, including Brigadier-General Hilal bin Saad al-Muhannadi, director of the North Security Department; Yousef al-Emadi, director of Project Affairs at Ashghal; Rashid Mashlash al-Khayarin, director of Al Daayen Municipality at the Ministry of Municipality; Omar al-Yafei, Public Relations and Communications manager at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education; Fahad Mohamed al-Kaabi, head of the Public Parks Section at Al Daayen Municipality; Saeed al-Yafei, Student Affairs officer at Simaisma Primary School for Boys; Maryam Ateeq al-Qubaisi, laboratory attendant at Al Daayen Primary & Preparatory School for Girls; and Captain Sultan Khamis al-Muraikhi, assistant head of the Al Daayen Services Centre.
Al Daayen Park includes open green spaces with an area of 25,000sqm, with benches and retiring facilities, along with 450 trees, making it a preferred place to visit for families of Al Daayen and Simaisma. It also includes dedicated kids' play areas, a sports arena and dedicated paths for pedestrians, joggers and cyclists.
The park is also designed to be user-friendly for people with special needs.
The project includes services such as female prayer area and toilets, while aesthetic and dim lighting ensure privacy for visitors. People visiting the park can use Al Daayen Municipality's parking lots, with 50 available now and more in the pipeline.
Maryam al-Kuwari, project design manager at the Supervisory Committee of Beautification of Roads and Public Places in Qatar at Ashghal, said the park’s design is inspired by the meaning of the Arabic word 'Al Daayen', which implies "camel beauty and the resting place of caravans in the past". This is in addition to its location in the Al Daayen area in the northern part of Qatar, which was considered as a resting spot for caravans coming from the north or south of Qatar.
The design also considered the park’s proximity to schools and the Al Daayen Services Centre, using it as a suitable place in the vicinity for people of the region to spend their leisure time during weekend, or to engage in physical exercise after a stressful day.
She added that fancy lighting was added to the design, covering the service buildings to enhance the design concept of the park and linking it to the Qatari identity with shining lights on metal partitions to reflect shades, and depicting the movement of a caravan behind its herdsman.
The fancy lights also provide a opportunity for memorable phoographs, besides giving a distinctive outlook to the park.
Brigadier-General al-Muhannadi said on the occasion, "Al Daayen Park will be a landmark for people of the region, providing them with an outlet for exercise and fun for residential neighbourhoods and visitors to the area. It is a new addition to the many and increasing number of public parks in various parts of the State."
Al-Khayarin noted, “I would like to thank the Supervisory Committee of Beautification of Roads and Public Places in Qatar for the quick completion of construction works of Al Daayen Park, to our excitement. We hope that the people of the area and residents around shall take care to keep the park in shipshape.”
Sara Kafood, deputy chairperson of the Supervisory Committee, said she is happy with the growing success of the 'Qatar Beautification and Our Kids Planting Trees' campaign, with more than 550,000 trees being planted so far. She stressed that this achievement would not have been possible without the participation of many entities from the public and private sectors.
Kafood said the committee is co-operating with Ministry of Municipality to increase green spaces in various parts of Qatar. Thus, large-scale land areas are allocated to build central parks, while smaller spaces are allocated to Al Furjan Parks and green plazas. These projects contribute to providing healthy outlets in city centres, encouraging people to enjoy their leisure outside closed buildings. Besides, these spaces enhance the aesthetic view of places and streets and improve quality of the environment.
The Ministry of Municipality had allocated land with an approximate area of 39,000sqm for construction of a new park in Al Daayen Municipality, to serve residential nreighbourhoods in the area.
Saeed al-Yafei said, "Tree planting, increasing green spaces and preserving the environment are basic values we are trying to instil in students through the educational process."
Al-Qubaisi added, “I loved participating in tree plantation at Al Daayen Park as part of our efforts to enrich Qatar’s environment and to encourage students to love agriculture by planting trees in the park, leaving their footprint on the land of Qatar."