Traditional production of rose water

The rose gardens of Jebel Akhbar come to life every year between the end of March and the beginning of May. Every morning, the rose growers go to their fields to pick the blossoms of their roses. These are collected in large baskets and then taken to the distillery, where rose water is made from the blossoms. The harvest season is short, and in comparison, the efforts throughout the year are significant to achieve the best possible harvest. However, the still quite high prices that farmers can achieve on the markets for their rose water more than compensate for the efforts. The high price that rose water can reach in the small and larger souks across the country is mainly due to the limited availability of the product. The production of rose water is still handled in most distilleries in the lower Sayq plateau region just as it was centuries ago.

The traditional craft of rose water distillation still lives on today

The distillation of rose water is traditionally the task of men in the country. The rose petals are sprayed with fresh spring water and then placed in a large clay pot, the Burmah. This sits in a clay oven, the Dahjan, which is solely dedicated to the distillation of rose water. In this oven, the petals are slowly and carefully heated to around 100 degrees Celsius. Up to four Burmah can be heated simultaneously in one Dahjan. Inside the Burmah sits a slightly narrower clay vessel, the Sahlah. The construction is sealed at the top with a bulging copper kettle, the Qars, which is filled with cold water. The rose petals are slightly crushed between the Burmah and the Sahlah, and due to the heat, the juice of the roses evaporates and rises until it condenses on the cold copper of the Qars, runs down the bulging curve to the middle and then drips into the Sahlah. During the distillation process, the Sahlah is emptied repeatedly by pouring the rose water contained in it through a filter made of a very fine cotton cloth into a storage jug. Here, the rose product is left to sit for a few days, allowing it to develop its full aroma. Afterwards, the rose water is bottled into small bottles and now awaits to be sold at markets across the country.

Rose water can be used for this

In addition to the wonderful fragrances that rose water offers, it is also great for seasoning dishes. Especially desserts are often refined with a bit of rose water in Oman. Really good rose water has a golden-yellow color, a slightly smoky scent, and produces many small air bubbles when the bottle is shaken. The dried rose petals are not discarded by the farmers, but are used as fertilizer in the fields, ensuring that the harvest will be abundant again next year.