New sunflower walkway opens at Abu Dhabi Corniche

The trail features hundreds of sunflowers and provides information about the UAE's longstanding friendship with the Netherlands

The Sunflower Walkway has opened in Abu Dhabi's Corniche area. Victor Besa / The National

A sunflower walkway that brings a little piece of the Netherlands to the UAE has opened in Abu Dhabi.

Celebrating 50 years of friendship between the two countries, the Emirates-Netherlands Sunflower Walkway has opened in the capital’s Corniche area.

The trail features hundreds of sunflowers dotted at various points around the Corniche, and is inspired by the flower that featured so heavily in the works of Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh.

The walkway was officially opened on Saturday in a ceremony attended by Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazroui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs in the UAE, as well as Saif Badr Al Qubaisi, director general of Abu Dhabi City Municipality, who said: “Sunflowers along the Corniche will add a natural and aesthetic touch to the city, making it even more enjoyable for all."

Visitors and residents will be able to scan QR codes on sunflower bowls placed along the promenade, to learn more about the history of Dutch-Emirati relations, as well as offer them a chance to enter a competition to win a trip to Amsterdam to see van Gogh's famed sunflower paintings.

Lody Embrechts, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UAE, said: "Sunflower drawings were very important to the famed artist van Gogh, who referred to them as an expression of 'gratitude' when displaying his stunning paintings. These sunflowers are now an indication of our gratitude for the long-standing relationship between our two countries.”

Sunflower seeds will also be provided to students at national schools in the UAE for planting, as part of the celebrations.