The views across the valley from the flat-roofed Berber house were sublime. A meandering trail of varied hues of green flanked the M’Goun wadi, its river rendered invisible by a dense patchwork of palms, olive and fig trees, purple field gladiolus, pink roses and swathes of red poppies. The ochre turrets of kasbahs in a remote village rose from the green, dwarfed by towering copper mesas behind them, with the snow-capped Atlas Mountains in the background.
Sarah, clearly accustomed to her spectacular surroundings, unceremoniously dumped a hessian bag full of pink rose buds on the sun-baked roof and spread them evenly among hundreds of others, before turning to watch me admiring the view.
Sarah is one of several young locals who help at Hdida’s Kasbah des Roses co-operative, sifting tight Damask rose buds from the pounds of blowsy pink petals harvested by local families in this small Moroccan village. The buds are dried for use in cosmetics, home decoration and cooking, while the petals are distilled into rose water and, ultimately, rose oil, a key ingredient in many of the world’s perfumes and potions.
Last update 20 Nouv 2023