Rose season on Jebel Akhdar

What it is

Jebel Akhdar, the green mountain, is a high plateau in Oman's Hajar range above Nizwa. Villages such as Al Ayn and Ash Shirayjah cling to the rim of a deep valley, with terraces of pomegranates, apricots and roses watered by old stone channels. For a few weeks around April the rose bushes flower. Families pick in the early morning and distil the petals in clay pots set in mud-brick ovens. The result is a dark rose water with a smoky scent, used in Omani coffee, sweets such as halwa, and as a traditional remedy. A footpath links the villages along the terraces.

Before you go

• The road up the mountain requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
• Walk the village path in the morning, when picking and distilling take place.
• Dress modestly and ask before photographing people or entering a distilling room.

The flowers you will see

Damask roseA fragrant pink rose grown for oil, water, and sweets in West and South AsiaRoseWoody perennial plants with showy, often fragrant flowers in many coloursPomegranateA shrub with bright red flowers and a fruit full of edible seeds