JEDDAH: Visitors are flocking to the 19th Taif Rose Festival at Al-Raddaf Park where the flowers are in full bloom, highlighting the region’s rich floral heritage.

The festival, themed “Qetaf” meaning “Picking Time,” coincides with the harvest season and will run until May 12. The organizers include the Taif Rose Cooperative Society and Taif Municipality.

There has been an impressive turnout of Taif residents and domestic and international tourists. The exhibitors — mostly farmers and vendors — are optimistic that increased revenues will help boost rose cultivation and production.

Abdullah Altwairqi, a local farmer and festival participant, said: “Participating in the Taif Rose Festival has become a tradition for me. The atmosphere improves each year, and the revenue and exposure we receive from visitors make it worthwhile.”

At his booth, Altwairqi showcased various flowers and fruit, including Taif roses, peaches, prickly pears, figs, mulberries, grapes, blackberries, pomegranates, as well as aromatic plants.

Altwairqi urged people to visit the Rose Flavor cafe where they can savor hot and cold beverages infused with the flavor of Taif roses and other aromatic flowers including lavender, which is also abundant in the region.

The flower carpet set up by the municipality in the center of the park left visitors awestruck. Covering 5,206 square meters, it was crafted using over a million flower and rose seedlings, making it the largest in the history of the festival.

Faiz Al-Thibaiti, director-general of media and corporate communication at Taif Municipality, told Arab News: “The flower carpet was designed with decorative patterns inspired by the province’s heritage.”

He said the carpet has ensured the event has become “one of the most important tourism festivals in the Kingdom, attracting thousands of visitors and tourists from various regions of the country.”

The decorations adorning the flower carpet draw inspiration from the intricate designs found on the walls and facades of Taif’s ancient structures, including Al-Kaki Palace in Al-Salama and King Saud Palace.

Al-Thibaiti added: “Preparations for the festival started early, with the Taif Rose Cooperative Society detailing participation criteria to highlight Taif roses, including their cultivation, harvesting, and distillation into fine perfumes. This adds to Taif’s unique tourist appeal. The festival provides a platform for producers, experts, and entrepreneurs to connect, collaborate, and boost this important sector.”

Among the highlights are the rose and flower path, product stalls, goods market, government booths, and the agricultural nursery.

Interactive fountain shows accompanied by national tunes were also among the attractions, with a crossing to the upper pedestrian bridge from where visitors can view the massive flower carpet.

Artwork, flower arrangements, and hanging floral baskets scattered throughout the park added to the flair of the event.

Al-Thibaiti said: “The significant turnout at the current festival comes amid increasing rose production year after year, indicating the success of this agricultural sector in achieving high revenues while continuing to promote the Taif rose product.”

Taifrosethon

The five-day Taifrosethon began on May 7, which is being held to encourage entrepreneurship in the region with technological solutions to enrich the industry.

The event includes various skills training and technical workshops covering trade, cultural heritage, and tourism.

The top-three winners will receive $2,666, $1,866 and $1,333 respectively. Participants are required to enter as teams, each with three to five members.

Taif’s roses

The Taif province produces more than 200 million roses each season. According to the local chamber of industry, each tree produces an average of 250 roses daily throughout the harvest season, which lasts for about 45 days.

The rose-picking season starts around the end of March or early April, lasting between 35 to 45 days, with an average of 70,000 roses picked daily.

Taif roses feature an exquisite, sweet fragrance and vibrant pink hues on delicate petals, and are a hallmark of the region’s natural beauty.

Cultivated in the high-altitude climate of Taif, these roses thrive in the cool temperatures and fertile soil of the region.

They are meticulously harvested by hand to preserve their quality, with the petals carefully collected for various purposes.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned an attack by Israeli settlers on a Jordanian humanitarian aid convoy that was heading to the besieged Gaza Strip on Tuesday, in the second incident of its kind in less than a week.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement that said “the repetition of these attacks is a result of the failure of the Israeli occupation forces to carry out their responsibilities under international humanitarian law and is considered systematic complicity in preventing the necessary humanitarian aid from reaching the Gaza Strip.”

The Kingdom called on the international community to take all necessary measures to hold Israel accountable for its violations of international law and international humanitarian law.

It also urged it to assume its responsibility to protect and secure the crossing of aid convoys, and to ensure their arrival into the Palestinian enclave to contribute to alleviating the humanitarian crisis there, the ministry statement added.

Jordan also condemned the attack and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sufyan Qudah said: “Israel is responsible for the settler attack on the aid convoys.”

Qudah stressed that the Israeli government’s failure to stop the attacks was a violation of its legal obligations, the Jordan News Agency reported.

Qudah added that the aid convoy, run by the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization, was attacked by Israeli settlers on its way to the Beit Hanoun Crossing, also known as the Erez Crossing, in northern Gaza, adding that “its cargo was tampered with.”

He said that the convoy later managed to continue its journey despite the attack and reached its destination in war-ravaged Gaza.

Kuwait also condemned the assaults by Israeli settlers and affirmed its position calling for the international community to assume its responsibility by deploring these attacks so that they may be avoided.

The Kuwaiti foreign ministry said this would aim “to guarantee the sustainable delivery of these aid convoys to the Palestinian people in order to curb the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip caused by ongoing” Israeli attacks.