TEHRAN –Barzok, a small city near ancient Kashan, is famous for its enormous gardens and flower fields. The city is a top destination for nature lovers and rural tourists.

Its mild summer climate is accompanied by cold, dry winters. This type of climate would result in the products that have contributed to the prosperity of the city, such as walnuts, almonds, and its main product, berries.

The city is also the largest supplier of flowers for Kashan and the surrounding areas. As a result of these products, local people are more likely to engage in gardening to earn a living.

One of the main festivals and tourist attractions of the city is the rosewater distillation festival, commonly known as “Golab-giri”, which is held annually in the spring.

Golab or rosewater is obtained from a particular kind of rose, known as Mohammadi roses, in Iran. Harvesting flowers seems to be the most important part of the process. They should be picked from dawn through morning very carefully. The petals are put into massive copper pots and boiled, and then the extracted water is kept in special bottles. The longer the distillation process is, the better will be the quality of the rosewater.

Golab is used nationwide in diverse traditional dishes to flavor them or consumed as a religious perfume as well.

The distillation of flowers and herbs has a deep history in Iran. Many believe traditionally distilled rosewater is of higher quality than that produced in factories, probably due to shorter time intervals between the harvest and distillation practices.

The city’s natural beauty is spectacular in all seasons, especially in autumn, when trees with yellow and red leaves make the gardens even more captivating.

There are a variety of historical and natural attractions in this city, including a holy shrine, cistern, historical cave, water mill, public bathhouse, museum, mansions, and a public bathhouse.

Barzok’s residents used to speak a language called Raji, which today is only spoken by older people.

Kilim, cloth weaving, traditional embroidery, spinning, and carpet weaving are among the handicrafts of the city which are not popular nowadays. There is no other important and popular craft than carpet weaving.

Aside from handicrafts, one can also take edible souvenirs such as rose water, walnuts, and herbal tea.

ABU/AM