Taif: City of World's Beloved Roses

Taif is often referred to as the City of Roses for a reason. Every spring, the city will be adorned with hues of pink and red roses. The rose blossom will start in the valley of Wadi Mahram, then move higher up in Al Hada, and finally blossom at 2,500 metres in Al Shafa, the mountains to the south of the city. The roses grown in Taif are of the Damask species, which in bloom is full of 30 oil-rich petals. Due to the Taif's mild weather, combined with its mountainous topography, the roses have an intense but soft, powdery rose scent with delicious hints of tea and honey.

Every spring, more than 900 rose farms in Taif produce more than 300 million flowers. During harvest season, the roses will be handpicked early in the morning when the fragrance is at its purest. The harvest will be distilled to produce the world's most expensive rose oil and attar, as well as rose water, which is mixed into the perfumes of luxury brands from Givenchy to Jimmy Choo. It takes between 10,000 and 15,000 flower heads to produce just a vial of essential oil.

At the time of bloom, every year the city of Taif hosts a rose festival devoted to roses, which is very sacred to their identity and economy. All the activities related to the festival will be stunning, but the heavenly aroma will make it even more magnificent.