TEHRAN – Iran plans to submit its own nomination file to UNESCO to register the country’s centuries-old tradition of rosewater distillation, known as Golab-Giri, as an element of intangible cultural heritage, an Iranian official said.
Alireza Izadi, director general for the registration and preservation of cultural heritage at Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, said the Iranian file would be submitted separately, clarifying recent reports suggesting a possible joint registration with other countries.
“Iran has its own rituals and traditions related to rosewater distillation, and ‘Golab’ is a Persian word,” Izadi said on Sunday. “The registration of Iran’s Golab-Giri will be pursued independently.”
His remarks appeared to address speculation about potential collaboration with Saudi Arabia, which in 2024 registered its Taif rose practices on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Izadi said each country has the right under UNESCO conventions to register its cultural traditions independently. “Every nation has customs and practices that belong to its geography and can be registered separately,” he said. “For example, Nowruz was first registered by Iran, and later a number of countries such as Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey joined the file.”
He added that Iran last year jointly registered the Sadeh festival with Tajikistan.
The Iranian tradition of Golab-Giri is centered in the central city of Kashan and its nearby villages, where the Mohammadi rose (Rosa damascena) has been cultivated and distilled for centuries. Each year in May and June, communities in the region hold rosewater festivals, marking the harvest and distillation season.
A Golab-Giri festival begins with a procession of the locals carrying baskets of roses to local distilleries. The flowers are then sorted and placed in large copper pots where they are boiled to produce the oil. The pots are made from bricks, stones, and mud. Aside from the actual production of rosewater, the attendees may roam through vibrant bazaars where local vendors sell all sorts of rose-infused products, such as perfumes, soaps, and even tea. In fact, rosewater is an essential ingredient in Persian cuisine. Furthermore, there are various musical and cultural events, including folk dances and traditional performances.
Flower harvesting is almost completed early in the morning. According to rumors, essential oil quantity and quality decline as a result of delays in harvesting or transport to the distillery.
For part of its process, some 80 liters of water and almost 30 kilograms of rose petals are added to each pot, which is connected to metal pipes to allow steam to pass through to create the hydrosol. Distillation waste can either be fed to animals or composted.
Locals believe that rose oil and rosewater have therapeutic rewards. Some say rose oil calms the mind and relieves depression, grief, stress, and tension, adding that rosewater products help improve skin health, colds, and digestive system issues.
AM
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