JEBEL AKHDAR IN FULL BLOOM
Jebel Akhdar transforms into a stunning landscape in April as its pink roses, a variety unique to the area, blossom. Photographer Ahmed al Hosni has been capturing images of the rose harvest for many years
April is the time when roses are in full bloom in Jebel Akhdar, providing a stunning landscape of hillsides covered with pink rose flowers, a variety unique to the area. This is also the time for tourists to flock to the region and also for photography enthusiasts to zoom their lenses on the beautiful scenery and life around the festival of harvesting roses.
Photographer Ahmed al Hosni has been capturing images of the rose harvest in Jebel Akhdar and the impressive landscape of the Dakhliyah governorate as well as promoting the tourism potential of the region on various social media platforms.
Hosni has been touring, exploring new spots and photographing the rose harvest season for some years now.
Speaking to Muscat Daily, he said, “As a photographer, my goal is not just to take beautiful pictures of the place and gain the admiration of followers. My objective is to show the people the wonderful places in the sultanate. My aim is to promote domestic tourism and showcase Oman’s beauty and diversity to the world. I love taking photos of nature especially stars and animals such as camels and horses.”
A rose harvesting festival is organised in Jebel Akhdar in
April. “This is one of the tourist seasons which attracts a large number of tourists to the area,” Hosni said.
On April 4, 5 and 6 he photographed mountaineers while harvesting the flowers.
“It’s an activity shared by men, women and children who first pick the roses; then the roses are moved to a place for pressing. It is left for 40 days for fermentation, and eventually distilled to obtain rose water,” he said.
“This year, I focused on the role of the Omani woman in harvesting, and her bright traditional clothes.”
A member of the Photographic Society of Oman, Hosni has taken part in competitions
and won several local and international awards.
His tryst with photography began in 2011 when he joined the Photographic Society of Oman.
In 2015, Hosni founded the Sawarah Photography Group of
the Children’s Welfare Centre in Al Khoudh.
“Sawarah seeks to voluntarily train children in photography. We aim to groom them so that they can represent Oman in international contests. Our group won in the World Cup of Photography held in Germany in 2019.”
Every year during rose harvesting season there’s a flurry of activity on Hosni’s Instagram account and on Twitter @alhosni10.