TAIF — A symbol of beauty and grace, the Taif rose also holds a significant place in the governorate’s history, with its vibrant pink hues and sweet scent attracting international visitors. The iconic flower even inspired an Indian pilgrim to help establish the governorate’s first rose factory. The story of Taif’s century-old rose factory and its rose distillation methods has been passed down from generation to generation, preserving the secrets that have shaped the identity of this heritage product. **media[2696825]** A Taif native, Abdulrahman bin Humaid Al-Qurashi, recounted to the Saudi Press Agency that the story began with his grandfather, who used to sell Taif roses to pilgrims, where their quality caught the attention of one of the pilgrims coming from India, who promised to bring him a special copper pot for distilling roses in the following season. Al-Qurashi says: “The pilgrim fulfilled his promise and brought the copper pot, which we still have today for more than a hundred years,” noting that his grandfather began using it to cook roses to extract only rose water, until a discovery changed the course of the work, when he managed to extract rose oil for the first time. **media[2696824]** He added that his grandfather used to suffer from crop spoilage in some seasons, but the use of the copper pot contributed to the development of rose products, which began with rose water and then evolved into producing the more expensive rose oil. He indicated that their family is considered the first to practice cooking roses, as his grandfather Abdullah was among the first to do so in the Green Valley between the Al-Hada mountains. **media[2696826]** Al-Qurashi pointed out that the price of rose water at that time was about 1.5 riyals. As the industry developed, it gained greater economic value, and the first tola of rose oil was sold at a high price due to its rarity and high quality. Regarding the details of the profession, he explained that it begins with the first light of dawn, where the roses are carefully picked to preserve their aromatic oils, then transported to traditional workshops and placed inside copper “pots” that still retain the scent of history. **media[2696823]** He emphasized that the rose farms in Al-Hada and Al-Shafa are among the most famous globally, according to farmers’ experiences, due to the ideal environments they provide for producing high-quality roses. He also noted that farmers continue to refine their methods while preserving the traditional heritage that has distinguished Taif roses for decades, transforming them into a product sold in various local and global markets.
Keep Up to Date with our Weekly Newsletter
