Isparta Rose Harvest

Isparta grows Rosa damascena on a scale that makes Turkey one of the two main producers of rose oil in the world, alongside Bulgaria, and the harvest runs for about six weeks from mid-May. The work happens before sunrise, because the oil content of the flower falls as the day warms: pickers are in the fields from around four in the morning, taking the blooms by hand into sacks, and the flowers must reach the still within hours. Distillation is by steam, and the yields explain the price - it takes something in the order of three to four tonnes of petals to produce a single kilogram of rose oil, which is why the oil is sold by the gram and used in perfumery worldwide. The by-product, rose water, is used in cooking and sold everywhere in the province, along with jam, lokum and soap. Fields line the roads around Gönen and Keçiborlu, and several distilleries take visitors in season by arrangement.

What you actually see

• The dawn picking - harvesters in the fields before sunrise.
• The loaded sacks - petals carried to the stills the same morning.
• The distilleries - steam extraction of oil and rose water.
• The village shops - rose water, jam, lokum and soap.

When to go

Mid-May to late June, and at dawn - by mid-morning the picking is over and the fields are empty. A rose festival is held in Isparta during the season.

Honest expectations

The fields are private working farms - photograph from the roadside and ask before entering. Distillery visits need arranging in advance. Genuine rose oil is extremely expensive; cheap "rose oil" is not.

Nearby

Lake Eğirdir is north-east; Kuyucak's lavender fields are in the same district and flower later.