Last year, rose distillers in Taif received about 230 million flowers and produced 19,500 tolas (nearly 227 kg) of rose oil.
This year it is expected that the production of rose oil would reach more than 20,000 tolas, or 233 kg.
Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities, opened the Taif rose festival on Saturday and said it is one of the city’s tourist attractions.
Abdullah Qadi, a farmer with vast experience in rose cultivation, said roses are sensitive to cold weather and humidity. "In order to produce a tola (about 11.4 grams) of rose oil, we have to have 12,000 to 18,000 roses," he said.
Taif is located about 150 km southeast of Jeddah and 50 km east of Makkah. Because it lies atop a high escarpment in the Sarawat Mountains, it is one of the few places in the Kingdom where people can find pleasant temperatures throughout the year.
Taif has perfect conditions for growing Rosa damascena trigintipetala, or the Taif Rose, famed for its unusually potent and delightful fragrance. This rose grows in the hill country outside Taif at an elevation of around 2,000 meters.
From the fields, the roses are carried to distilleries in Taif where they are weighed and poured into large copper pots, each of which can hold 10,000 to 20,000 roses. Water is added and the roses are simmered for six hours.
The distillation process produces droplets of essential oil which are further distilled a second time, eventually producing one tola of rose attar, a mere one-third of an ounce, which may retail for between $500 and $800 (SR1,875 to SR3,000).
Flowers are handpicked early in the morning before the sun’s rays affect them.
Harvesters take the roses directly to the distilleries where the petals are processed immediately to capture the high quality fragrance of the rose and maintain quality.
According to reports, royal family members and businessmen in the Gulf are the main customers of rose oil. Rose oil and water are also very popular at celebrations. It is also used for the ceremonial washing of the Holy Kaaba twice a year.
Rose water is a traditional remedy for the heart and stomach ailments. It is also used for cleansing the skin and face. There are more than 244 types of rose plants in the city showcased at the festival, where farmers display various types of roses, rose water, rose oil, perfumed soaps, and other related products.