Damask rose

Every May the Valley of Roses near Kelaat M’Gouna celebrates the harvest of the petals, which are distilled into rose water and rose oil.

A shrub up to 2 m tall with thorny stems and very fragrant, pink, double flowers. It is an ancient rose hybrid, grown for thousands of years for rose oil and rose water, used in perfumery, cosmetics and cooking. It flowers once a year, and only briefly – the petal harvest lasts a few weeks and takes place early in the morning, when the flowers contain the most oil. Several tonnes of petals are needed to produce a kilogram of oil.

Significance in the country

Hedges of damask roses surround the fields in the oases of the Dades valley, and the Rose Festival in Kelaat M’Gouna in May draws crowds of visitors. Rose water from the region is a popular cosmetic and one of the most frequently bought souvenirs from Morocco.

Where it grows

In the Dades and M’Goun valleys on the southern slopes of the High Atlas, around Kelaat M’Gouna and Boumalne Dades.

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