The Millennial Pact of Kashan Rose Valley

In the Kashan Plateau of central Iran, wind and sand sweep across the loess slopes every year, yet they cannot take away the stubborn rose-red hue of the valley. The Persian roses here have been blooming for six thousand years, and the locals say that each flower houses a spirit guarding the homeland.​

Amir's grandfather, the third-generation flower farmer, always loved to take his granddaughter to pick roses before dawn. "See the dew on the petals? That's the roses collecting the tears of the stars," the old man would say, his rough palm gently brushing the thorny branches, his fingertips stained with a sweet fragrance. They must finish picking the day's flowers before sunrise, for once the sun grows scorching, the soul of the roses will evaporate with the water vapor.​

At the age of fourteen, Amir found a copper plate carved with rose patterns among the flowers. His grandfather told him this was a flower-picking tool from the Persian Empire era. Back then, the king specially built a rose distillation workshop here so that the queen could use fresh rose essential oil every day. The cuneiform characters on the edge of the copper plate recorded an ancient oath: "May the fragrance of roses forever guard this land".​

That spring came unusually late, and a cold snap struck the valley. Amir and the villagers lit bonfires all night to keep the roses warm, while his grandfather placed the cherished copper plate in the center of the flower cluster. Miraculously, the fire reflected the rose patterns on the copper plate, casting tiny light spots on the petals, and the frost-bitten branches gradually regained vitality. When the first ray of sunlight rose, an unprecedentedly rich fragrance filled the entire valley.​

Now Amir has become the guardian of the rose valley. He has improved the distillation process with modern technology but has always retained the tradition of hand-picking. Every May during the rose harvest, a grand Rose Festival is held in the valley. Girls in traditional costumes scatter petals into the sky, children chase the fluttering pink sprites, and the air is filled with a honey-like sweet fragrance.​

From the first drop of essential oil flowing out of the copper plate to the rose hydrosol now contained in glass bottles, the roses of Kashan have thus woven millennia of stories into their fragrance. When people from afar use rose care products from Persia, they may catch that gentle scent that has traveled through wind and sand — it is the love letter written by the Iranian Plateau to the world.​