Ancient Iranian Heritage in the Industry of Kashan People
Today, the red rose is known for its beauty and delightful fragrance, capturing the attention of people worldwide. The unique properties of the rose have earned it the title of the “queen of flowers,” and ancient literature is replete with references to it. In some tales of celestial books, the rose is mentioned as a symbol of freshness and beauty, vividly illustrating that “with the blooming of the rose, the desert will rejoice.”
The Hebrew words “Konsult” and “Narcissus” in celestial books have been translated to the rose, and in later centuries, to the Sharon rose.
Other sources include the Apocryphal books, which, according to some theories, make references to the rose.
Mythologists have found numerous signs regarding the creation of the rose. One of the oldest stories states that “Flora found the dead bride of the forest and, with the help of Venus and Grass, turned it into a beautiful flower. The breeze also prepared the ground, and the sun, with its rays, breathed life into the fresh flowers. The goddess of wine and fragrance also prepared its perfume and nectar, and the goddess of fruit trees placed fruits on the branches, and the rose, with its beauty, appeared in Flora’s crown.”
The scent of the rose was initially extracted by placing the flower in fats and used as an ointment. Homer recalls that Aphrodite revived Hector’s dead body using this ointment.
In the book “Aquaring This Top Plants,” it is mentioned that if the fruit of the rose remains on the tree, it can pose dangers to the eyes with the blowing wind. In Chapter 10 of the book “X X One,” various types of roses are discussed, and a rose with a hundred petals is known as “Santhi Qulia.” Pliny talks about the ceremonial life of the Romans, saying that they garnish their foods with decorative flowers or use rose perfume. He confidently states that the location of perfume production is in the rough caspberry of the rose. Pliny believes that the most fragrant roses are the variety “Cirna,” which is very suitable for use in ointments. In the past, they would take rose leaf water, dry it, turn it into powder, and measure perspiration by sprinkling it on the body. The Egyptians were fond of roses, and wealthy and famous people would cover their beds with flowers. At one of her parties, Cleopatra adorned the reception hall with flowers. Also, according to archaeological books, a Roman general named Lucius Apuleius, who was wounded in North Africa, recovered by eating rose fruit alone.
Most likely, distillation of rose water was a common activity in Iran even in ancient times. According to documents available in the National Library of Paris, in the year 810 AD, the province of Fars sent about thirty thousand bottles of rose water to the treasury of Baghdad. It seems that Fars was known as the main center of rose water production, as documents show that rose water was exported from Iran to destinations such as Egypt, India, China, Yemen, and other countries. Most rose water production workshops were active in the Firuzabad region, located between the cities of Shiraz and the coasts.
Certainly, the art of rosewater distillation was transferred to Europe by the Arabs in the tenth century, and the first European country to adopt this art was Spain. There is no note of rose perfume before 1574 AD, until a drop of it was observed on a rose water made by Mr. Jerome, one of the villagers in Ravenna. The discovery of rose perfume was first made by the Persians in 1612 AD, when a Mongol Khan filled his garden canals with rose water, and one of the princes observed a spot on the floating rose water and ordered it to be collected and found that this drop was very fragrant and they needed to store a large amount of it.
Around the 17th century AD, the cultivation of roses was transferred from Iran to India, North Africa, and Turkey, and for the first time in 1710 AD, it was planted in Bulgaria (in the village of Shipka in the Kazanlak Valley). The cultivation of roses, which originated in the Middle East, rapidly expanded, so that within thirty years, all parts of the Kazanlak and Karlovo valleys were under rose cultivation. In 1750 AD, Bulgaria became known as the world’s center for rose perfume production. After years, roses were cultivated in England, France, and Germany as ornamental flowers, but until the early 19th century AD, perfume and rose water production had not begun commercially in France. However, these countries have now reached their maximum economic capacity in the production of perfumes and rose water. Since rose perfume gained popularity, demand has far exceeded supply, and producers and sellers have resorted to fraud and substitution of other perfumes instead of using pure rose perfume. However, before World War II, with the decrease in demand for perfume purchases, competition among producers improved the quality of perfume. Naturally, natural perfume has always been expensive, and buyers who buy at low prices may receive non-genuine perfumes instead of pure perfumes, but anyone with experience can distinguish the authenticity of perfume.
Different Varieties of Roses
Different rose varieties date back to ancient mythology, which according to it, the rose was originally white, and when the red rose was created, the thorn of the white rose broke Venus’s foot, and its blood colored the petals. Since the time of Theophrastus to reality, several different varieties of roses have existed because he recorded many physical differences in them related to their fragrance. Pliny also distinguished the varieties based on this property. Today, almost all varieties of roses are known under different names, and there is likely a great diversity in roses that fascinates the art and work of florists, and they have created different hybrid specimens that often do not have a botanical scientific name, and in many cases, two people have named the same hybrid differently, so currently, more than 200 varieties of roses have been named, but in terms of authenticity, more than half of them have not been precisely identified.
The roses of the Algeirs include twenty types in England, four types in Scotland, one type in Ireland, and one type in the Silly Islands. According to the book Hortus Conclusus, seven different species have emerged, the most beautiful of which are Rosa rubiginosa (Sweet Briar Rose) and Rosa eglandulosa (eglantina), which emit a delightful scent into the air after rainfall.
Rose water and distillates based on scientific and documented sources of traditional Iranian medicine. According to scientific and documented sources of traditional Iranian medicine, a distillate refers to a distilled water from plants, flowers, blossoms, fruits, seeds, leaves, wild herbs, and woods, obtained using distillation apparatus and with the use of two “Qoor” and “Anbiyeh” stills. In ancient sources, distillates, except for rose water (distilled from rose petals, which are red flowers and called “Golab” in Persian), were not commonly used, and they are among the newest productions obtained from modern distillation methods.
In the view of ancient texts, each drug has three main essences, namely, spirit, breath, and body. These essences are obtained through distillation, solution, or both. All chemical activities are based on separating and collecting compounds.
In this process, distillation and rose water extraction are divided into two poles for obtaining the essence (spirit) of plants, flowers, and seeds, namely, distillation and collecting.
Iran Rose Company, as the first company inspired by traditional Iranian sources, has produced distillates and rose water using distillation apparatus and has scientifically based laboratory and semi-industrial samples on the market.
In the three-part distillation apparatus, Qoor and Anbiyeh, first described by “Dioscorides,” there is a pot in which the necessary materials for distillation are poured. Then, a lid is placed on the pot, and the vapors produced are transferred to a condenser or vessel where the vapors turn into liquid droplets. In the Islamic period, Jabir ibn Hayyan, Razi, and Ibn Awam described details about the distillation apparatus, and Islamic alchemists contributed to the advancement of these apparatuses.
Their distillation apparatus consists of three parts: Qoor, Anbiyeh, and Qabileh. In this apparatus, the substance intended for distillation is heated in the Qoor, and the resulting vapors are transformed into liquid in the Anbiyeh. Then, this liquid is collected in a vessel called Qabileh. Mainly, Qoor, Anbiyeh, or Qadhzin and Sabuhin (specific materials) are used in preparing distillate compounds and essences.
The distillation instructions for distillates have two methods: thinning and Qoor and Anbiyeh. In the thinning method, a large dome-shaped lid is placed upside down on the pot, and a container for collecting the distillate is placed on the lid. The lid of this container is connected to the mouth of the pot and sealed with dough to prevent any vapor from escaping. Cold water is also placed inside the lid to condense the vapors. After the container is filled with the distillate, the lid is removed, the container is emptied, and the lid is resealed to complete the process.
The Qoor and Anbiyeh method has different points. The best method is to place a tall wall of copper or silver as a roundabout around the pot and lid to produce a lot of vapors. A pipe is placed to empty the water inside this wall. When the water is warm, it is opened. Another pipe is also placed next to the pot lid to return the vapors to the pot. Inside the pot lid, a wall is also placed inward. This wall prevents vapors from escaping, and they are collected in the pot through a pipe using a screw. Some specific types of distillates, such as rose water, which is called “Ma al-Ward” in Arabic and “Golab” in Persian, have properties such as liking coolness and mild warmth, moisturizing, and regulatory power. Some distillate compounds are used for better therapeutic use, either from Qoor and Anbiyeh or Qadhzin and Sabuhin (specific materials).
To prepare rose water, fresh, blossom-free buds and greens are cleaned and poured into a fresh bronze pot. Then, using the Qoor and Anbiyeh apparatus as usual, they distill the rose water. Then, they pour the rose water into glass containers, seal them tightly, and leave them in the sun or shade for a period of twenty to forty days. Finally, using the Bakheer, they increase its fragrance and make it fresh and strong. This strong, fragrant, and therapeutic perfume is used for some green and floral baths to get a better scent. However, this is not suitable, and it is better to avoid it.
