MAKKAH: Farmers are readying their gear as the Taif Rose, a proud Saudi symbol, prepares for next year’s harvest amid fears of an early winter frost. With its blush to bright pink hue, the beautiful flower is believed to be the sister of the Damascus rose. Legend has it that the seedlings were brought to the Kingdom five centuries ago after an Ottoman sultan offered Levantine
TAIF: Every year in March and April, people flock to Taif city to enjoy the fragrance of its pink roses and the captivating landscape of the Rose Festival.
The festival takes visitors to the authentic rose gardens and fruit orchards, where they can explore the stages of flower development from picking, cooking, distillation, and finally turning them into products.
It is an annual highlight for Taif farmers as they are given the chance to introduce the aesthetic identity of the city’s nature.
“I am very happy to be working as a tour guide as I am a nature and environment enthusiast and I feel very accomplished when I am entertaining the tourists,” Awad Al-Talhi, a tour guide in Abdullah Al-Talhi’s farm that was established in 2008, told Arab News.