Taif Rose

The Taif rose is a rose cultivated in Taif Governorate in Makkah Region, western Saudi Arabia, and its farms are spread across the mountainous areas surrounding the city.[2] Taif is home to more than 2,200 rose farms producing more than 550 million roses a year; farmers market the blooms as cut roses in local markets, while others extract their water and fragrance in workshops established for the purpose.[1]

The Taif rose is so closely associated with the governorate that a number of historians have called for Taif to be given the title "Flower of the Hijaz", as the slopes of its mountains are adorned with roses in season.[12] The industry rests on picking the blossoms, distilling them and producing rose water and rose oil in workshops that carry the process from the farm to the workshop and on to the market.[3]

Taif rose cultivation is spread across the mountainous areas of Taif Governorate, most notably Al-Hada, Al-Shafa, Wadi Mahram, Al-Talhat, Wadi Al-Amaq, Wadi Al-Bani, Bilad Tuwayriq and Al-Makhadah.[2]

The Taif rose begins to bloom over a period of 40 to 50 days: the bush carries its buds and a limited number open each day, and the open blooms are picked until the yield reaches its peak and then gradually declines until it stops, for this rose blooms only once a year and the first blooms appear from the tenth day of the sign of Aries.[2]

This blooming is tied to a harvest season of about 45 days in spring, when the roses are picked in the early hours before dawn to preserve their aromatic oils.[3]

Distillation of rose water and bride's water begins by moving the roses from the farms to traditional workshops known locally as "baqadur al-tabkh", large copper vessels into which set quantities of roses and water are placed and sealed with tight lids.[3] The vessels are then set over moderate heat and boiling begins, releasing vapours saturated with aromatic oils; the vapours pass through pipes into cooling vessels known as "al-multaqa", where they condense into an aromatic liquid that is collected with care.[3]

The process yields rose water together with pure rose oil, one of the most expensive aromatic oils in the world.[3] Each flask in the distillation stages has its own product: what is collected in the first flask, "al-talqiyya", is called bride's water, with rose oil floating on its surface that is drawn off with a pipette; what is collected in the second flask, "al-jamadana", is called second-grade rose water; and what is collected in the flask known as the barrel is called running rose water.[4]

Taif rose water enters many fields, most prominently the perfume and incense industry and the production of cosmetics and skin care, and it is also used in food industries such as sweets and traditional drinks, as well as in some popular food recipes.[3]

Taif hosts a seasonal rose festival at Al-Rudaf Park, organised by the Taif Rose Cooperative Association in cooperation with the Taif Municipality and the relevant sectors.[5] The nineteenth edition (Qitaf 19) opened under the patronage of the Governor of Taif, Prince Saud bin Nahar bin Saud, amid a large turnout of residents and visitors.[5] In the sixteenth edition, in 1442 AH, the Governor of Taif, Saad bin Muqbil Al-Maimouni, inaugurated the events under the slogan "Taif Roses Bring Us Together".[6]

The largest flower and rose carpet of its kind drew the attention of visitors; it was created in an initiative to support the festival over an area of 5,206 square metres using 1.026.491 seedlings of assorted flowers and roses, with a design of decorative motifs drawn from the heritage and old palaces of Taif Governorate.[5]

The Taif Chamber of Commerce and Industry, organiser of the Taif Rose Festival 14, launched three competitions for both sexes: the Rose in the Eyes of Plastic Artists, the Rose Through Photographers' Lenses and the Rose Poet, and set cash prizes for the winners reaching 100,000 riyals.[11]

The first Taif Rose Hackathon was launched in Taif in 2024, the first event of its kind in the Kingdom devoted to the Taif rose and the first in the city, serving as a meeting point for lovers of the rose, culture and tourism.[7]

Scientific research keeps pace with the sector through the Chair of Research and Development Studies for the Taif Rose, which organised a workshop entitled "The Taif Rose: Techniques and Aspirations" within the eleventh rose festival.[9] King Abdulaziz Foundation grants an annual prize for the best historical study and innovation to support the continuity of the Taif rose industry, under the supervision of the Taif History Centre at Taif University.[6]

In training, the third course in Taif rose distillation was held in the governorate with 16 young men trained in methods of extracting rose water and rose oil by the traditional means followed by the rose workshops spread across the governorate.[10]

The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between a company specialising in greenhouse management and agricultural marketing and a rose farm, to explore ways of localising rose cultivation in the Kingdom by doubling production in greenhouses and developing cultivation methods with modern technologies to raise efficiency and rationalise water use, in line with Vision 2030.[8]

Q: What is the Taif rose? A: A rose cultivated in the mountainous areas of Taif Governorate in western Saudi Arabia, whose industry rests on picking its blossoms and distilling them to produce rose water and rose oil.[1][2]

Q: How many Taif rose farms are there and how large is production? A: More than 2,200 farms producing more than 550 million roses a year.[1]

Q: When does the Taif rose bloom and how long does its season last? A: It blooms once a year for 40 to 50 days, and is picked during a harvest season of about 45 days in spring in the early hours before dawn to preserve its aromatic oils.[2][3]

Q: How is Taif rose water extracted? A: The roses are moved to copper vessels known as "baqadur al-tabkh", then boiled and the vapours pass through pipes to cooling vessels, "al-multaqa", where they condense, producing rose water together with rose oil; the products are classified as bride's water, second-grade water and running water by the collecting flask.[3][4]

Q: Where is the Taif Rose Festival held? A: At Al-Rudaf Park in Taif Governorate, organised by the Taif Rose Cooperative Association in cooperation with the Taif Municipality and the relevant sectors.[5]

The Taif rose is concentrated in the mountain farms of Taif Governorate and is tied to a single blooming season and a harvest of about 45 days, a traditional distillation that produces rose water and rose oil, and annual festivals, competitions, research workshops and training courses that help this industry continue and develop.[3][5][6][9][10] Related topics on the platform include Taif, Taif Season, Agricultural Development Fund, Vegetation Cover in Saudi Arabia and Makkah.