• A worker at the Bin Salman farm among freshly picked Damascena (Damask) roses, which are used to produce rose water and oil. Every spring, roses bloom in the western Saudi city of Taif, transforming pockets of the kingdom's vast desert landscape into fragrant pink patches. And for one month in April, they produce an essential oil that is used to clean the outer walls of the sacred Kaaba, the cubic structure in the holy city of Makkah. AFP
    A worker at the Bin Salman farm among freshly picked Damascena (Damask) roses, which are used to produce rose water and oil. Every spring, roses bloom in the western Saudi city of Taif, transforming pockets of the kingdom's vast desert landscape into fragrant pink patches. And for one month in April, they produce an essential oil that is used to clean the outer walls of the sacred Kaaba, the cubic structure in the holy city of Makkah. AFP
  • A worker at the Bin Salman farm picks Damascena roses to produce rose water and oil. AFP
    A worker at the Bin Salman farm picks Damascena roses to produce rose water and oil. AFP
  • The picked roses are fed into a distiller. AFP
    The picked roses are fed into a distiller. AFP
  • The beautiful and delicately fragrant Damascena rose is used to produce rose water and oil. AFP
    The beautiful and delicately fragrant Damascena rose is used to produce rose water and oil. AFP
  • Pickers at the Bin Salman farm in Taif, Saudi Arabia, harvest Damascena rose. AFP
    Pickers at the Bin Salman farm in Taif, Saudi Arabia, harvest Damascena rose. AFP
  • A worker at the Bin Salman farm tosses freshly picked roses in the air. AFP
    A worker at the Bin Salman farm tosses freshly picked roses in the air. AFP
  • A Bin Salman farm worker checks bottles as they fill with rose water from distillers. AFP
    A Bin Salman farm worker checks bottles as they fill with rose water from distillers. AFP
  • Damascena roses being harvested at Taif in Saudi Arabia. AFP
    Damascena roses being harvested at Taif in Saudi Arabia. AFP
  • Workers at the Bin Salman farm wear masks as a coronavirus precaution. AFP
    Workers at the Bin Salman farm wear masks as a coronavirus precaution. AFP
  • A worker surrounded by freshly picked roses at the Bin Salman farm in the western Saudi city of Taif. AFP
    A worker surrounded by freshly picked roses at the Bin Salman farm in the western Saudi city of Taif. AFP
  • The note in perfumery referred to as 'Damask rose' is produced by the Damascena rose, such as those harvested in Saudi Atrabia. AFP
    The note in perfumery referred to as 'Damask rose' is produced by the Damascena rose, such as those harvested in Saudi Atrabia. AFP
  • Rose oil being extracted from the surface of distilled rose water. AFP
    Rose oil being extracted from the surface of distilled rose water. AFP
  • Although commercially harvested at the Bin Salman farm, the Damascena rose still grows wild in Syria and parts of the Caucasus. AFP.
    Although commercially harvested at the Bin Salman farm, the Damascena rose still grows wild in Syria and parts of the Caucasus. AFP.

The National

Roses bloom in the Saudi Arabian desert - in pictures

Every spring pockets of the kingdom's vast desert landscape are transformed into fragrant pink patches

The National

April 16, 2021

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Saudi Arabia