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Since the dawn of time in warmer and sunnier corners of our civilisation, such as Babylon, India, Persia, Tunisia, Egypt, Bulgaria, and ancient Greece, scholars, poets, and philosophers have been debating whether “In the beginning was the Word”, or rather… the Rose.
In the mists of time the Garden of Eden in Persia near Damask, the greatest rose valley of all was formed, hence its name the Damask Rose.
Some say it was the Ottoman Turks , others say it was the enlightened Thracians that found a more suitable environment to grow nature’s magic. Between the towns of Karlovo and Kazanlak later referred to as Bulgaria’s “Rose Valley” was the source of Rose oil for Cleopatra’s daily ritual and the inspiration for her beauty.
For Hindus, Lakshmi, the most beautiful woman in the world, was born from 1000 rose blossoms. On seeing the beauty of 1000 blossoms in full flower, Vishnu, the Guardian of the Universe, brought her to life with a kiss and married her. And still to this day the symbol of fertility.
The earliest documented references about rose cultivation in Karlovo, where our rose oil originates from, dates back to 1712. In 1747 the English ambassador in Constantinople reported back to King George II about rose oil production in the Rose Valley and of its exceptional quality. Through the Turkish capital, our oil was exported to Britain where it was consumed as the beauty product for ladies in the Royal household. By the end of the 18th century, our fame had spread across Europe and our rose oil was sold to the aristocracy of Vienna, Moscow, Odessa, Leipzig, Paris, and Prague. This tradition as the world’s quality Damascena Rose producer we cherish to this day as our symbol of national Heritage - The Bulgarian Rose.
In his book The Art of Aromatherapy, Robert Tisserand, one of the worlds leading experts in aromatherapy states “the finest and most expensive of all comes from Bulgaria and is known as Bulgarian rose oil”. It’s not surprising that our sweet smelling product often matches the price of gold, hence the name “liquid gold”.