Khorasan Saffron Harvest

The dry highlands of Khorasan produce the large majority of the world's saffron, and for a few weeks in late autumn the fields around Torbat-e Heydarieh, Qaen and Birjand turn purple as Crocus sativus flowers all at once. The picking has to be done at dawn before the sun opens the flowers fully, and it is done entirely by hand, with whole families and hired workers moving through the rows filling baskets. The flowers are then taken indoors and the three red stigmas are separated from each by hand, which is the slow part and the reason for the price: it takes something like a hundred and fifty thousand flowers to make a kilogram of dried saffron. The stigmas are then dried, usually in the shade.

What you actually see

• Purple fields at dawn - the crocus flowering across the highland plots.
• Hand picking before sunrise - the harvest done in the cool hours.
• Separating the stigmas - three red threads picked from each flower indoors.
• Shade drying - the final stage that fixes the colour and aroma.

When to go

Late October into November, and only then; the flowering window is about two to three weeks and shifts with the weather. A day, starting before dawn. Farm visits need arranging locally in advance.

Honest expectations

The window is short and hard to time from abroad. There is no visitor infrastructure; access to fields depends on knowing someone or on a tour. Saffron sold to visitors is frequently adulterated or mislabelled. Roads in the region are long and slow.

Nearby

Torbat-e Heydarieh is the northern centre; Qaen and Birjand lie south.