Farmers, including women and young adults, are harvesting delicate purple petals of damask rose flowers in a garden field in Iran’s Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province, June 4, 2020. They work quickly to gather petals as much as they can before the sun gets too hot.

Cultivating, harvesting and processing of damask roses has paved the way for local women to find jobs.

Every year, by late May, tens of festivals of rose and rosewater starts to take the center stage in the southwestern province. The distillation ceremonies, which are commonly known as “Golab-giri”, usually attract visitors to witness the time-honored tradition.

Golab or rosewater is a fragrant distillate of the roses which is used nationwide in diverse traditional dishes to flavor them or consumed as a religious perfume as well.

Similar festivals are usually running through mid-June in central Iranian towns and villages such as Kashan, Qamsar, Joshaqan Qali, Barzak and Niasar.

The province has various unique traditions and rituals relative to the 'tribal' lifestyles. Special forms of music, dance, and clothing are noteworthy. It has a considerable potential to become a vibrant tourist attraction because of its changing natural landscape.

AFM/MG