As Damask rose production falls in Syria, Cypriots harvest flower with passion in solidarity, employing Syrian refugees.
by Stefania D’Ignoti
Agros village, Cyprus – Every morning in May, Nasir Karoub, a Syrian from Damascus, wakes up at 5am.
He takes his scissors and apron to the rose fields of Agros, a village tucked away in the Cypriot Troodos mountains, before the precious flowers he has been harvesting drop their petals.
This has been his routine for the past eight years.
“Around 30 kilos of roses need to be picked up every day to keep up the pace,” Karoub told Al Jazeera. “And the process needs to be fast, because these roses blossom early in the morning and their scent fades within just a few hours.”
He is now a refugee, living with his family in Cyprus because his hometown is not safe. Back home, he also worked in the rose farming industry.
Agros, a village of just 800 people, is known for cultivating the Damask rose which, like jasmine, is considered an iconic Syrian flower.
Read more at https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/nature-damascus-cypriot-village-smells-roses-191007135805484.html
