AL-AHSA — Embracing the fragrance and fresh energy for the entire day, 60-year-old Abdul-Azim Al-Mutlaq starts moving at dawn every day in the midst of 7,000 plants of the famous Hassawi roses at his farm in Al-Ahsa in the Eastern Province. This practice he has continued for more than three decades and that has given him fresh energy and enthusiasm all throughout his life. "I spend my day cultivating and moving around in the farm where I have had spent 33 years caring and cultivating original organic products," he said. With the onset of the summer breeze and bidding farewell to the cold winter climes, Al-Mutlaq is now busy harvesting Hassawi roses. He eagerly awaits the arrival of the rose season every year to enjoy its sweet aroma and the great demand for it within Al-Ahsa region and outside. "The production is very large in the summer season, and caring for roses involves immense efforts. Along with my children, I am keen to pick the roses early in the morning because it is the best time for picking," he said. "In the day time, I receive tourists who enjoy watching the activities of flower picking and planting seedlings, and with the help of my children, I have started producing rose water using the process of distillation," he said. He noted that rose has many uses and benefits, including decoration for food, flavor for tea and for cooking, and becoming an adornment for women on festive occasions. "Its elegance and beauty manifests when it is used to decorate the braids of young and old women. It is considered as an addition to tea for its distinctive taste, and a substance to flavor the water due to its aromatic scent," he said. Al-Mutlaq turned to cultivation and harvest of Hassawi roses after his successful experiment of cultivating the famous Hassawi red rice, a hidden gem, which farmers say has high nutritional value and can help alleviate the pain of those suffering from arthritis and broken bones. Al-Mutlaq, who is well-known as Abu Jawad, later turned his attention to the cultivation of Hassawi rose. He turned in this direction seeing the need to preserve it and increase its productivity in the region. Hassawi roses that are considered as the sweet roses for the people of the Al-Ahsa region constitute a state of sublimity while the roses are hanging in the market after picking it fresh and tender.
