Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Rose harvesting festival in Jabal AkhdHar

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JABAL AL AKHDhAR: The Jabal Akhdhar district of Wilayat of Nizwa in Dakhiliyah governorate will organise Rose Harvesting Festival in Jabal Akhdhar in April next year. The season attracts a large number of tourists who flock to the area known as Jabal Akhdhar or the Green Mountain.


Announcing the festival, Khalifa bin Saleh al Busaidy, Deputy Governor of Nizwa, Jabal Akhdhar, said that these green mountains have exceptional tourist components due its moderate weather. The temperature here dips to below zero degrees Celsius during winter. This creates an environment suitable for various types of agricultural activities and increases harvesting. He said that roses were one of the most liked plantation activity in Jabal Akhdhar and have financial returns. During this weather, tourists flock to the area and get first-hand experience of watching how water is manufactured with traditional as well as modern methods.


He said that Jabal Akhdhar in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism as well as the tourism sector, was planning to organise rose-picking festival in April next year. Many concerned organisations and establishments both from the private and public sectors are expected to participate to highlight rose as one of the major agricultural products for which Jabal Akhdhar boasts and attracts tourists. The festival will also see coordination with the Royal Cavalry towards their participation.


The objective of the festival will be to activate winter season and begin a number of activities so that more tourists spend their nights in the green mountains and enjoy its weather.


The festival organisers said they were planning to hold a festival during the harvest season in April next year in which many related parties will participate. The activities will encourage visitors to learn how to harvest roses from farms as agricultural products which features the green mountain and attracts tourists and visitors to the Sultanate.

He added that the event aims at activating the winter tourist season and providing many programmes that contribute to the visitors who can spend the most nights in the mountains.


Khalil bin Saif al Toobi, Director of Tourism, Al Dakhiliyah governorate said the Rose Harvesting Season will attract tourists from within the country and abroad. According to statistics, the number of visitors to Jabal Akhdhar is on the increase each year. The rose harvesting season is expected to rejuvenate the activity. Many farmers take keen interests in roses which is an indication that it has huge financial returns.


Al Toobi said that the tourism ministry was taking interest in activities which attract more tourists. They can walk around the roses farms and enjoy the beauty of Jabal Akhdhar on which an information booklet has also been published.


Khalid al Busaidy, in-charge of the Aromatic Plant Distillation Centre of Jabal Akhdhar said that the centre was established in 2009 and has since set up 14 production lines of rose water, Omani frankincense water, thyme, cinnamon and cloves as well as other plants. During the rose season the focus is always on roses.


Abdullah al Saqari, the owner of a rose farm, said that there is huge popularity during the season. More than 150 tourists from countries like Germany, France and Spain come to Jabal Akhdhar every day and walk through the rose farms as well as the rose water factory.


During the first three months this year, 29,865 tourists from various nationalities visited Jabal Akhdhar. During 2018, the total number of tourists who visited the Green Mountains stood at 226,000.


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