The Dubai Miracle Gardens

The glistening desert city of Dubai is well known for its lavish spa hotels, restaurants and shopping, but few people know that its also home to the largest public flower garden in the world. Known as the Dubai Miracle Garden, the grandiose gardens are only open to the public during the fall, spring and winter months because of excessive heat in summer in the United Arab Emirates, but the butterfly garden remains in operation year round.

Dubai Miracle Garden's Construction and Opening

The Dubai MiracleGarden is a 72,000-square-metre garden that flourishes in the desert heat. It is home to over 45 million flowers. The outdoor haven of green in an otherwise brown Sahara-like environment was the brainchild of engineer Abdel Nasser ­Rahhal. The garden first opened its gates to the public in 2013. It features ever changing flower displays, so visitors never know what new plant life they will encounter when touring the garden's vast expanse. The garden's unique construction and layout makes it utilize only 200,000 gallons (757,082 liters) per day to keep everything growing and green. Here, the lush growth creates a cooling effect, which makes visiting the garden a refreshing experience. The ample vegetation also helps trap sand and lessen the overall strength of the frequent desert sand storms that occur in the region. Currently the garden holds the Guinness Book of World Record's record for having the longest wall of flowers.

Features of the Dubai Miracle Garden

The Dubai Miracle Garden is more than just flowers, however. It's also an ideal place for tourists to spend the day and stretch their legs after a long flight.

•            The Butterfly Garden - Nine domes home to a variety of different butterfly species.

•             Playground - A playground designed for children ages 4 to 14.

•             Aromatic Gardens - A garden that features medicinal plants from around the world.

•             Flower Watch - A focal point of the garden, the flower watch is a giant clock bedecked in flowers and plants.

•             Souvenir Shop - A gift shop filled with souvenirs from the Dubai Miracle Garden.

•             Men's and Women's Mosque - An on-site mosque

After finding a hotel inDubai, visitors can usually arrange transportation straight from the hotel to the Dubai Miracle Garden. After touring the garden, visitors may want to visit Dubailand, which sits next to the gardens. Dubailand is home to the Dubai Outlet Mall, Motorcity, Butch Harmon School of Golf, horseback riding opportunities and restaurants.