When we see rows of palm trees lining the roads, an elegant and majestic image is formed, as if they were pillars of light guiding passersby. Palms have their own grandeur, reminding us of dignity, generosity, and patience in the face of nature’s harshness. Yet—no matter how beautiful—they remain newcomers to the place, their roots short in time, even if they stretch deep into the soil.
As for the ancient trees, those that have lived for decades, they are not merely greenery or shade; they are living chronicles of history. In their trunks lie the tales of generations; beneath their shadows cities have breathed; upon their branches laughter and memories once hung. The fall of a fifty-year-old tree is not the loss of a plant—it is the loss of a witness to life itself.
Palms can be transplanted from one place to another, adorning a new road or a freshly built square. But an ancient tree has no replacement. Its uprooting is not simply a change in the scene—it is a wound in the memory of place, as if a hand had reached out to erase a chapter from the city’s book.
Whenever I see someone extend a saw to cut a tree under the pretext of construction or road expansion, I imagine myself before a killer of history—one who extinguishes a silent soul that has lived for decades. Such an act should not be left unchecked, for it is not only against the environment but against conscience and identity.
Ancient trees are green temples. Once destroyed, they cannot be rebuilt. They are silent walls preserving the spirit of cities, gentle hands reaching across generations. Their protection is not a secondary choice, but a civilizational duty equal in value to protecting monuments and historic architecture.
Let us plant palms to adorn, and preserve trees to safeguard memory. Beauty is complete only when the new embraces the old, when roots remain extended, bearing witness that human beings do not live only their present day, but their history as well.
And I remind readers that Egypt, with its ancient trees, carries an identity that distinguishes it from many younger nations.
