Exported from Syria to Europe for centuries since the time of the Crusades, the Damask rose is also cultivated in other countries, including France, Morocco, Iran and Türkiye
On a gentle slope looking out over Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, villagers work their way across pink-dotted terraces, gathering perfumed Damask roses that are used for essential oils, sweets and cosmetics.
A soft bag tied around her waist and her hands scratched from the thorns, the 64-year-old plucks the small, pink buds from their bushes as their rich and heady scent wafts across the hill. Experts swear by the flower's therapeutic properties in fighting infection and as a relaxant, while rose water is used across the Middle East both as a refreshing drink, in sweets such as Turkish delight, to scent mosques, and even to bestow luck at weddings.
Around four years ago, she set up a small workshop at her house, using a traditional metal still that"belonged to my grandfather", said Sayed Ahmed, 37.With a kilogramme of rose petals, she said she can make up to half a litre of rose water."The production of rose water is a part of our heritage," said Sayed Ahmed."In every home in Qsarnaba there is a still, even if it's just a small one.
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