TAIF, Saudi Arabia: After decades spent pruning thorny bushes and working arduous harvests, Khalaf Allah al-Talhi has perfected the art of capturing the fragrant aroma of the desert rose in a bottle.
“I love roses and take care of them more than I care for my own children,” the 80-year-old told AFP from his flower farm in western Saudi Arabia’s Taif.
Known as “the city of roses”, the hills of Taif produce around 300 million of the area’s signature pink roses annually at 800 flower farms. By his own estimates, Talhi grows around five to six million of those.
The arrival of spring’s mild climate is met with the blooming of roses that carpet the vast, rolling desert landscapes with vibrant shades of pink.
The blooms are then hand-picked from daybreak to late in the evening by an army of labourers.
The petals are soaked and boiled for hours in vats, where the rose’s scent is extracted through an intricate process, capturing the steam that is then distilled into aromatic oil.
The flowers have long been used to make rose water to wash the walls of the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, and perfumes made from Taif roses are popular with pilgrims visiting the kingdom.
According to the economic database TrendEconomy, Saudi Arabia in 2023 exported just $141 million worth of perfume products, which includes rosewater.
At harvest time, workers on Talhi’s farm pick tens of thousands of flowers daily.
“We were born on farms and have always worked in agriculture,” said Talhi, wearing a white robe and a red checkered headscarf. “There are weather changes, but this year the conditions have been very mild,” he said.
While the weather may now be less reliable, Talhi himself has proven to be a source of stability.
Despite his advancing years, the octogenarian rises every day before sunrise to work the fields alongside his staff, and he often labours away until late into the night.
“This farm is my soul and beating heart,” he told AFP. “God willing, nothing will separate me from it, except death.”
