Saudi 'city of roses' offers fragrant reminder of desert's beauty

After decades spent pruning thorny bushes and working arduous harvests, Khalafallah Altalhi has perfected the art of capturing the fragrant aroma of the desert rose in a bottle.

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"I love roses and take care of them more than I care for my own children," the 80-year-old told AFP from his flower farm in western Saudi Arabia's Taif.

Known as "the city of roses", the hills of Taif produce around 300 million of the area's signature pink roses annually at 800 flower farms. By his own estimates, Altalhi grows around five to six million of those.

The arrival of spring's mild climate is met with the blooming of roses that carpet the vast, rolling desert landscapes with vibrant shades of pink. The blooms are then hand-picked from daybreak to late in the evening by an army of labourers.

The petals are soaked and boiled for hours in vats, where the rose's scent is extracted through an intricate process capturing the steam that is then distilled into aromatic oil.

The flowers have long been used to make rose water to wash the walls of the holy Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah, and perfumes made from Taif roses are popular with pilgrims visiting the kingdom.