Riyadh: More than 200,000 people are expected to attend the annual Taif Rose Festival, which will begin tomorrow. Makkah Governor Prince Khalid Al Faisal will patronise the opening ceremony of the festival.
Taif, the cool and green summer-tourist resort city is located in the western part of Saudi Arabia.
For centuries, visitors to this mountainous city have enjoyed the captivating views from wind-sculpted rocks, a pleasant climate and the verdant setting of its surroundings, as well as the abundance of fruits which grow in its fertile valley.
Fragrant roses, lush parks, sunny skies and exotic birds and wildlife have for generations drawn families to this resort town each summer.
Throughout the year, the city is one of the most popular holiday resorts.
The resort city in the Makkah Region is famous for its wide variety of roses and their perfumes, including rose water and rose oil.
Revenues of this year's festival is expected to exceed 10 billion Saudi riyals.
The festival is organised each year by the Taif governorate to coincide with the rose-picking season.
Significance
Speaking to Gulf News, the Governor of Taif, Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz Bin Muammar, highlighted the significance of the rose festival, which has become a major tourism attraction in the summer season since several years.
"This festival has turned into an important symbol of tourism, with [a] tremendous response from both the domestic and foreign tourists.
"We have plans to introduce new activities and programmes for this year's festival," he said.
Several leading producers of roses as well as manufacturers of perfumes, incense and oriental perfume oils — from various GCC states and other countries — are expected to take part in the festival.
Mohammad Al Thubaiti, an owner of a rose farm in Taif, told Gulf News that more than 244 types of rose plants will be showcased at the festival.
"We, as cultivators and manufacturers, will display various types of roses, rose water, rose oil, perfumed soaps, and other products from roses at the festival," he said.
These will be displayed along with with other flowers, fruits and agricultural crops.
Souvenirs
Everybody coming in for a holiday to this beautiful city is expected to take home bunches of roses or at least their perfumes, rose water and perfume oil — as a souvenir of their enjoyable trip.
There are five major families engaged in the manufacturing of rose water and rose oil in Taif.
These are Alu Qadi, Alu Kamal, Alu Quraishi, Alu Ghuraibi and Alu Solhi, who occupy the lion's share in the local production of rose water and oil.
A trade centre
Dr Naif Al Eisa, professor of history at King Abdul Aziz University of Jeddah, noted that Arabs in the past had set up their historic Souq Okaz in the southern part of Taif.
Traders brought goods via camel and donkey to the Souq Okaz, which was the most famous of annual fairs anywhere on the Arabian Peninsula in the pre-Islamic period.
Bedouin crafts such as rugs, camel-hair tents, sheepskins, pottery, tools, jewellery, perfumes, produce and spices were sold.
Included in this colourful spectacle of the souq were poets and singers who came to participate in contests to display their talents.
Taif's historic significance was also attributed to the grave of one of the companions of the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him), Ibn Abbas.
There were stories about Hajjaj Bin Yousuf, the Umayyad governor of Hijaz, and the Prophet's companion Mugheera Bin Sha'aba, were associated with Taif.
There were also historical references to Taif with regard to the Prophet Ebrahim.
It was said that the green city originated as an answer to the prayers of the Prophet Ebrahim after leaving his infant son Ismail and wife Hajira in the barren valley of Makkah.
