Photos by Elias Al Fahdi
Of the more than 60 villages spread across Jabal Akdhar, the villages of Saiq, Wadi Bani Habib, and Al Ain become tourist magnets between March and May as visitors flock to these areas to witness the time-honoured rose harvest season.
These guests are met with the sight of villagers delicately plucking the fragrant blooms, their hands moving with practised precision to preserve the petals' essence.
The harvested roses are then ushered into a meticulously orchestrated process of transformation, where they yield a wealth of precious byproducts. Traditional distilleries, some of the oldest in the region, come to life as the petals are carefully loaded into ‘Al-duhjan’, ancient mud ovens where the alchemy of distillation takes place.
From these time-honoured practices emerge an array of coveted treasures. Prized among them is pure rose water, extracted drop by drop through a labour-intensive process that captures the essence of the blooms in its most pristine form. Visitors have the opportunity to witness this age-old craft in action, as skilled artisans navigate each stage of production with unwavering expertise.
Other than this, rose oil, distilled from the mountain's blooms, emerges as a prized essence coveted by perfumers and aromatherapists alike. Its fragrant allure is matched only by its versatility, finding its way into cosmetics, fragrances, and holistic remedies.
“Growing roses is not only a livelihood but also a craft that brings love back home,” shared Al Laith Al Tobi, one of the members of a family that has been running Bait Al Sarh, an ancestral home that was transformed as a living museum where people can come in to see the whole process of distillation.
"The rose season in Jabal Akhdar begins in March and continues until mid-April, where the green terraces are covered with more than 5,000 rose bushes with an area estimated at between 7 to 10 acres. This is exactly what makes this season very thrilling and eagerly awaited," Al Laith shared.
"It's a precious season that lasts for only a month. Locals enjoy hosting trips for rose cultivation in Al Jabal," he added.
Due to the large number of tourists who visit Al Jabal Al Khdhar during the rose season, locals have gotten accustomed to welcoming guests on organised trips to live the experience of picking roses and learn more about the process of making rose water that is well-known in Oman as one of the most used fragrances.
"There had been a lot of interest regarding the process, including the rose picking. It is for this reason that Bait al Sarh wants to open its doors so that we can share to people this inherited craft," Al Laith said.
"Tourists do not only enjoy picking roses on such a trip, but they also receive a lot of information such as how to pick the roses, how rose water is made, how it is stored and why it is a little bit more expensive than any other rose water made in the world," Al Laith said.
Al Laith shared that for those organising trips to the mountains, the programme usually includes allowing the tourists to enjoy the scenery in the farms and picking the roses.
“The rose harvest season has become a very popular mountain activity that a lot of tourists and people in Oman await every year," he said.
Ali Saif Al Shukaili, Assistant Director of Heritage and Tourism in the Governorate of A'Dakhiliyah, said that the rose harvest season in Al Jabal Al Akhdar ushers in a state of tourism diversity and allows tourists to have a close look at traditional and modern methods of distilling rose water.
He pointed out that the ministry attaches great importance to encouraging investment in Al Jabal Al Akhdar, notably by attracting tourism projects like tourist resorts, hotels, and guesthouses. Such projects augment the local community’s gains from the tourism movement's activity, he observed.
Al Shukaili said that the Tourist Services Centre on Al Jabal Al Akhdar Road guides how best a tourist can benefit from the rose harvest season.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
