The cult of the rose: The historical significance of rosewater
From Rome to modern-day Iran, there are legends surrounding the rose and rosewater
A childhood soaked in the fragrance of rosewater.
Dennie Wallace, a Dubai-based founder of a fragrance brand, still remembers the bottle of rosewater that his grandmother would place on her dressing table. It served many purposes: A toner, an addition to her bath and an ingredient for cooking. The floral scent always lingered in the air, creating a warm and comforting atmosphere at home. Sharing one of his favourite memories, he remembers how she taught him how to make a rosewater spray for the bedroom. “We mixed rosewater with a bit of distilled water. Each evening, she would mist the air and her pillows with it,” he says. The smell of the roses are known to spread calm as she would tell him, and this became their nightly ritual. A whiff of rosewater instantly transports him back to those tranquil times, with his grandmother.
We would mix rosewater with a bit of distilled water in a small spray bottle. Each evening, my grandmother would mist the air and her pillows with it, explaining that the scent of roses was known to promote relaxation and calm...
Peace, tranquility and also a cleansing
In another corner of Dubai, Delna Mistry Anand marks her festive new year with a special ritual that involves a mirror and rosewater. She explains the details: A table is set prior to the New Year rituals. It includes items of symbolic relevance, and each family member picks up the hand mirror. The mirror indicates a reflection of their true inner self to inspire resolutions for the coming year. Then, the elders sprinkle rosewater on the family, from a silver container called gulabaksh. The rosewater is sprinkled, rubbed on their hands and faces, a ritual believed to cleanse negative energy and heal emotional pain.
There’s a sense of peace, harmony, clarity, love and joy in the household.
During our New Year, the rose water is rubbed on our hands and faces, a ritual believed to cleanse negative energy and heal emotional pain, filling the heart with peace, harmony, clarity, love, and joy....
Sweetness and flavour
It goes beyond rituals and nostalgia, too. For others, rosewater elevates the sweetness of a dish. Dubai-based Natasha D’Souza, a recipe collector and private chef, pairs it delicately with desserts such as baklava. It adds a fragrant touch that complements the sweetness and richness of such dishes. On a hot day, she mixes it with a glass of lemonade, or other beverages, giving the beverage a fresh and aromatic twist. Dubai-based Ashisha Snighda swaps her vanilla for rosewater. It works wonders for cakes with a rose glaze. Chef John Carl Redding from IFFCO, Dubai, expresses his awe at the 'unique' ability to harmonise with other ingredients, making it a kitchen essential. It adds a subtle fragrance to pastries, cakes and cookies, giving them a distinct twist on traditional recipes. Rosewater, indeed has a timeless appeal, as he notes.
I use rosewater in drinks like lemonade or buttermilk. It provides a refreshing and aromatic twist, making these beverages more delightful...
Diffusers, perfumes, food, mists, festive celebrations. That’s the magical versatility of rosewater, a liquid distilled from the water of roses, that has travelled through the centuries and carries a history as captivating as its scent.
‘The cult of the rose’
Where does the story of rosewater begin? With the roses, of course, the undisputed queen of the flowers, to quote UK-based art critic and researcher Celia Lyttelton from her 2009 book, The Scent Trail. And as archaeological, and fossil evidence show, roses have flavoured the world since pre-historic times.
From Rome to modern-day Iran, there was almost a cult surrounding the rose and rosewater, as Lyttleton says. The Romans professed a strong affection for the flower. According to Lyttleton, Emperor Nero (AD 37-AD 68), held rose banquets that were celebrated to the sound and scents of fountains of rosewater. The ceilings of the dining hall were hung with rotating discs, which scattered perfume and petals drawn over the guests.
The rose petals were strewn in fragrant carpets on the floors and the cushions were stuffed with roses, and guests wore garlands of roses in their crowns and around their necks. According to legend, he once spent £100,000 (AED 469,172) for a ‘waterfall’ of rose petals, which actually smothered one guest, killing him. It was also a symbol of decadence, as ancient historians such as Pliny The Elder (23 AD- AD 79) disdainfully described, observing the Romans who would sprinkle rose petals and rosewater on their food.
While Rome reveled in the rose's opulent excess, Egypt cultivated a more intimate and spiritual connection with the flower, as historian and researcher Akriti Sehgal tells us from India. It was a perfume, medicine for wounds and eye care, and a spiritual cleanse too, a belief that still pervades many cultures today. “Rosewater was believed to be the cornerstone of Egyptian beauty rituals. It calmed and toned the skin, as well as soothed inflammation, a practice still carried on till today,” she explains. In fact, the queen Cleopatra apparently saw it as an elixir for eternal youth. She would begin her day by bathing in rosewater baths, which was a testament to its refreshing and revitalising qualities. Apart from this, rosewater was also offered to the deities, symbolising purity of love and devotion.
'Life is a bed of roses'
Nevertheless, when it comes to the art of perfecting distilled, or rather refined rosewater, the Middle East gets much credit according to historians. The exact origins might remain shrouded in mystery, yet it is agreed upon that distilling rosewater emerged in modern-day Iran. The country had a profound fondness for the rose, as historian and researcher John Charles Sawyer, writes in his book, Rhodologia: A Discourse on Roses. They would stuff their mattresses with rose petals, paving the way for the expression ‘Life is a bed of roses’.
Historical documents reveal the economic significance of rosewater as early as the time of the Abbasid Caliphate. In AD 810, a province named Faristan was obligated to deliver over 30,000 bottles of rosewater to the Treasury of Baghdad, indicating its widespread production and trade to regions as diverse as China, India, Yemen, Egypt, and Andalusia. Sawyer posits that the Arabs were instrumental in introducing this fragrant art to the Western world, a claim supported by the historical treatise Le Calandrier de Harib, which includes rosewater among its recommended April preparations.
Arab scholars and alchemists, notably an Iranian philosopher named Avicenna, played a pivotal role in refining distillation techniques, allowing for the preservation of the rose's fragrance. And so, by thirteenth century, Iran was producing most of the raw materials for scent. They were exported to Venice, from where they were also traded with the Middle and the Far East.
The delicate flower had an ironclad grip on the world.
By the 16th century, rosewater had even woven itself into the fabric of British culture. Initially a symbol of luxury, it later became a more accessible commodity. In fact, fictional accounts mocked university orators ‘whose beards were sprinkled with rosewater’. Another book written in the 17th century published a receipt titled ‘King Henry eighth his perfume’ calling for six spoonfuls of rosewater, grains of musk, ambergris, civet and cloves, as author, historian Holly Dugan notes. In fact, in her book, The Ephemeral History of Perfume: Scent and Sense in Modern England’, she elaborates on how rosewater was also imbued with a sense of royal power.
King Henry VIII’s aromatic embodiment of Tudor power was a crucial part of his process of making rosewater British. Using rosewater, the essence of the rose itself, was a subtle olfactory reminder of his absolute royal prestige. The king embodied a new kind of self, one whose identity resided in olfaction. The rose perfume transformed the concept of bodily scent, introducing artificial fragrances into personal grooming.
By the 18th and 19th centuries, the rose and its products had completely influenced the West, increasing its relevance in skincare and found its way into creams, as well as flavouring of food.
And so, today, the magic of rosewater endures.
‘An elixir with its roots in antiquity’
The journey of rosewater is far from over. Cultures all over the world, continue to be drenched in its fragrance.
Nadia Ameri, a US-based researcher on rose essence and rosewater, explains why rosewater has maintained such a powerful influence in the world, across cultures. This peculiar elixir has its roots in antiquity, affecting different realms, such as wellness, beauty, haircare, aromatherapy, culinary arts, as well as a form of hospitality. It’s a reason for celebration, as it’s sprinkled in weddings; and it’s also a welcome drink, for some cultures.
The rose itself, symbolises love and healing, as Ameri explains. And healing is what it does, the mind and the body. Listing down the multi-faceted uses of rosewater, she says, owing to its strong non-inflammatory elements, it soothes the skin. It’s an antibiotic for sore throats, and is used to calm redness in the skin. Recent studies have studied the effects of rosewater in detail: A 2011 US-based study titled Pharmacological Effects of Rosa Damascena showed that rose petals contain powerful antioxidants that protect the cells. Not just that, rosewater heals scars, wounds and tissues as the same study showed.
And of course, a whiff of roses, rosewater and potpourri is balm for the mind. It heals, lifts the mood and calms the nerves, adds Ameri. “The delicate and floral aroma of rosewater has a profound impact on our mood. The scent is often associated with relaxation, love, and peace. When you inhale it, the scent of roses stimulates the release of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which are linked to mood elevation and stress reduction,” she adds. This synergy creates a tranquil experience that can help to alleviate stress and promote emotional balance.