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Attar of Roses
For three centuries, the oil-rich, 30-petal damask rose has been cultivated here and processed into precious attar of roses and its popular and even older counterpart rose water |
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Of particular fame is a highly scented red rose (Rosa x Damascena trigintipetala) from which attar, a sweet and delicate perfume is produced. Attar has become famous across the Muslim world, as hajjis have transported it back to their home countries.
Taif rose oil is the variety preferred by the authorities of Makkah to perfume the Yemeni Corner of the holy Ka'aba in Makkah's Grand Mosque.
Time is of the essence, so to speak, with the roses being picked at dawn as the buds open - but before half of the rose oil is dispelled by the heat of the midday sun.
To make one vial of attar, 50 liters (13 gal) of water and roughly 10,000 rose blossoms are blended together in tin-lined copper boilers. This simple mixture is allowed to simmer for six hours. The steam is collected into large glass instruments where it separates into rose water and attar.
The yield of attar from this first distillation (known as al-arus, or 'the bride') is low, as most of the oil is still dispersed in the rose water. The arus must be redistilled, in a process called cohobation which produces the richly-perfumed globules of attar.
The clean essence is then carefully syringed away and stored in vials, each of which holds one tolah: 11.7 grams. The price of each tolah will vary with the season and demand, but it usually costs SR2000 - SR3000.
Hand-held rose-water sprinklers, traditionally made with long straight necks and bulbous bottoms are used to mark the end of a wedding feast when rose water is sprinkled on the hands and faces of guests. Exceptionally beautiful sprinklers can be found in homes and museums throughout the Arabian Gulf region. |
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