THE ROSE HARVEST

As we descend a steep passage towards the rose farms of Jabal Akhdar, the sun rises sleepily between the rocky valleys in the horizon. A breeze picks up a mineral-sweet tang of what can only be the first few Rockrose buds from the terraces ahead, and the moment it envelops us, we walk by scent and not by sight.

The early morning harvest is punctuated by the chatty chirping of birds, the crackling gravel under the feet of harvesters - women and men of all ages - the gentle lapping of water through the falaj (irrigation channels) and the distinct click, click sounds as the roses are expertly snapped from the stem.

The experience is both awe-inspiring and humbling. The slopes are imbued with stories of the Rockrose and generational know-how; it is as if each silky rose petal represent a page in the noble story that is the rarest rose in the world, the Jabal Rose.