Pink carpet of roses welcomes tourists at Al Jabal Al Akhdar
Nestled amidst the majestic Al Hajar Mountains, Al Ayn village in Al Jabal Al Akhdar fills the air with the delicate scent of Damask roses (Rosa Damascena), leaving the visitors enveloped in a fragrant embrace, each breath a harmonious melody of floral notes.
Acres of terrace farms adorned with pink roses create a picturesque setting at an altitude of nearly 2,700metres above sea level as visitors embark on a sensory journey through Oman’s rich heritage of rose water production.
Tour guide Mahir Al Balushi guided the tourists from dusitD2 Naseem Resort to the centuries old Al Ayn village.
The essence of Oman’s heritage and warmth was evident while meeting the rose farm owner, Qais Al Amri.
Al Amri’s warm smile reflected the hospitality synonymous with Omani culture, as he shared insights into the traditional art of rose picking and distillation.
Amri then guided the tourists through narrow alleys and after crossing a small wadi running with cool water following the recent rains, to the lush green and pink farm of Damask rose or Ward Al Jabal as it is locally known.
The Damask roses bloom in abundance, painting the landscape with shades of pink.
Amidst the shadow of the Al Hajar mountains, the tourists witnessed the meticulous process of rose picking, typically undertaken in the early morning hours during the season, which spans from mid-March to mid-May.
Al Amri, a custodian of this ancient tradition, emphasised the importance of passing down this craft through generations, preserving Oman’s cultural heritage.
After the exploration of the rose farms, Al Amri graciously invited people to his distillation plant, located a short drive away.
Here, amidst the sweet perfume of roses, one could observe the intricate process of rose water production. Traditional mud ovens, known as Al Dehjan, played a central role, as rose petals were carefully distilled to extract the fragrant rose water - a practice dating back centuries.
Many of them including Al Amri still practice the traditional techniques of extracting rose water from the harvest blossoms, a practice that dates back to ancient times. But he also has a modern system to cope up with the demands of rose water.
In the traditional manner, a gasfuelled ground fire first steams the rose petals. As the steam rises, cold water is added into the round dish tops, which causes the steam inside the compartments to condensate. The condensation drips down an inverted cone into a steel bowl, which is how the rosewater is produced. This system is a simple gradual distillation technique that creates smoky brown distilled rosewater.
“Rose farming and then extracting rose water is a tradition steeped in the villages here for centuries. Families have passed on the art of rose picking and then extracting rose water and rose oil to the younger generations,” said Al Amri, who has a few farms across Al Jabal Al Akhdar. Besides Al Ayn, rose farms are located in Al Aqar, Saiq and Al Shuraiga villages.
Al Amri said: “Rose oil is another famous produce of the region and the rose oil distilled within Oman is largely extracted from flowers that grow here. It requires upto thousands of petals to create a single drop, this fragrant oil remains one of the most widely used oil in perfumeries. It is also used in a variety of other ways including as a fragrance, in cosmetics, and aromatherapy.”
Asked about the number of rose plants in Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Al Amri said: “There are nearly 14,000 plants and I am the owner of nearly 1,200 of those plants. The amount of rose water produced is estimated at 30,000 litres during the season. Nearly each two kilograms of harvest yields just three quarters of a litre of traditional rose water.”