Aleppo, May 11 (SANA) A cultural festival celebrating the Damask rose opened in Aleppo on Sunday, with organizers seeking to revive rose distillation traditions and promote awareness of the flower’s cultural and economic significance.
The “Damask Rose… Aleppo, Citadel of Roses” festival was launched by the Aleppo Directorate of Culture in cooperation with the “Aleppo Roses” foundation.
The event features live demonstrations of rosewater distillation, exhibitions of natural rose-based products and performances of songs associated with the annual rose harvest season.
Activities are being held near the Aleppo Citadel and in several historic khans in the city’s Old City, an area known for its commercial and cultural heritage.
Ali Sanda, head of the events office at the Aleppo Directorate of Culture, said the festival aims to reconnect younger generations with traditions linked to the Damask rose, which UNESCO has inscribed on its list of intangible cultural heritage.
Speaking to SANA, Sanda said Aleppo had cultivated Damask roses for more than 1,000 years along the banks of the Queiq River.
“The festival is intended to strengthen awareness of heritage as part of identity and cultural continuity,” he said.
Waseem Qatmawi of the “Aleppo Roses” said organizers are also working to revive historic methods of extracting rosewater and rose oil through workshops held at Khan al-Tahan in Aleppo’s Old City.
He said Aleppine rose oil remains closely tied to the city’s cultural identity and could support local economic development and investment opportunities.
R.D/ABD
