摩洛哥玫瑰谷 | emperorargan

摩洛哥"玫瑰谷" Morocco "Valley of Roses"

Location

Morocco's "Rose Valley" is located in central Morocco, in the town of Kelaat M'Gouna at the foot of Mount M'Goun, the second highest peak in the High Atlas Mountains.

Kelaat M'Gouna is a small Berber town about 6 hours drive from the main city of Marrakesh in the northwest. "Kelaat" comes from the Arabic "el qal'a", which means fortress or castle, and "M'Gouna" is named after Mount M'Goun behind the town.

The "Rose Valley" extends along the banks of Mount M'Goun for dozens of kilometers to one of Morocco's most popular natural landscapes - the Dades Gorge, and the Atlas Mountain Road in the canyon, which is known as one of the most dangerous roads in the world.

Atlas Mountain Road

Origin of "Rose Valley"

According to legend, the roses were first brought to Morocco by the French in 1938 and cultivated there. A rose distillery was later built to produce rose essential oils or pure water. It is also said that in the 10th century, a group of Berbers were on pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and were so attracted by the beauty and fragrance of the local Damascus roses that they decided to bring the seeds back to Kelaat M'Gouna to plant them. On the way back, they spread the seeds, which became the famous "Rose Valley".

The impact of the "Rose Valley" on the local area

Every year, starting from April, the town of Kelaat M'Gouna and the surrounding areas are completely shrouded in pink. Once you enter the "Rose Valley", you will be surrounded by pink petals, pink smells, pink shops, and even taxis. Every few hundred meters on the roadside, you can see young people selling large and small, bright and eye-catching rose wreaths to drivers. Since other big cities often sell non-genuine rose products, many tourists and even locals will come during this time to search for the freshest and high-quality rose products. Currently, the "Rose Valley" is the foundation of the local culture and economy. It is the largest rose product production area in the country and one of the three largest rose suppliers in the world. Every year, up to 4,000 tons of roses are harvested from 4,200 kilometers of rose bushes.

Moroccan Rose Festival

Morocco's "Rose Valley" is also popular because of the Rose Festival held in May every year, which is intended to celebrate the rose harvest of the year for rose farmers and allow workers to relax during the most tiring time of the year. The date of the Rose Festival mainly depends on the harvest period. It usually starts in the second week of May and lasts for 3 days. In 2018, the 56th Rose Festival was held from May 10th to 13th.

This festival is very popular with foreign tourists, and Moroccans also come from other cities to participate in the festival and experience the enthusiasm of the locals. Since some rose production factories are open to tourists, dozens of shops will also do everything they can to attract tourists. Foreigners will come into contact with rose essential oils, pure water, perfumes, cosmetics and other rose products made from rose petals, and taste traditional daily cakes made from rose pure water, so as to understand all the beauty and benefits of roses. Kelaat M'Gouna is an important economic and social center in the region. During the Rose Festival, the population is nearly doubled, and the number of visitors can reach up to 300,000.

The Rose Festival is like a large-scale music festival. Locals wear their most beautiful clothes. Ladies put bright roses on their traditional headscarves, men wear white headscarves, and children wear rose wreaths. Then they spray rose water on each other and scatter petals on the streets filled with the fragrance of flowers. They play music, sing and dance. Many Berber musicians also play traditional instruments and perform folk dances. You can also experience traditional Berber tribal cuisine here, and the most enjoyable thing is to taste rose-flavored ice cream in this hot weather.

Another purpose of the Rose Festival is to select the "Miss Rose" of the year on the last day of the festival. About 10 young, unmarried female contestants living in the local area will show their beauty and confidence to the audience and judges at the competition venue. The final "Miss Rose" will wear the most beautiful gown and rose decorations to dance, and then ride in a car decorated with a lot of roses and a camel parade, accompanied by beautiful music and applause from the crowd.