Amouage, the Omani High Perfumery House, proudly presents the precious Omani Rock Rose in a recently released short movie entitled ‘Rare is the Rose.’ The cinematic journey is a tribute to the Queen of Roses as she reigns over the slopes of the Jabal Al Akhdar, in Oman with her rare beauty and distinctive unique scent. ‘Rare is the Rose’ captures the interconnected and poetic elements of nature the rare Omani Rock Rose embodies, including the rocky mountain slopes where she grows, the soil nurturing her life, and the warmth and energy given to her by the sun to blossom. The wind creates the ideal microclimate for her to persevere while the water flows through the ingeniously designed Omani falajs to nourish her soul.
The short ‘Rare is the Rose’ movie was produced by Amouage in collaboration with the next generation of young Omanis, showing their craft, talent and knowledge about this natural treasure and the traditional legacy of harvesting. They filmed in the northeastern Hajar Mountain Range, home to the Jabal Al Akhdar, where the precious flower is harvested once a year as, between March and April, the rocky slopes of the mountain brieflly transform into a colourful and dominantly pink paradise. Meanwhile, every year, Amouage commissions a new artistic take on the story behind the Omani Rock Rose that is used in many of Amouage’s finely crafted creations.
The rose harvest takes place at the crack of dawn when the Rock Rose blossoms, which is beautifully showcased by the short movie and reminds one of the words of Charles Dickens who once wrote, “The flowers that sleep by night, opened their gentle eyes and turned them to the day.” The Omani harvesters meticulously hand-pick each flower and repeat this ancestral technique with every annual bloom. The rose-pickers, even the youngest ones from the local community, are shown wandering among the roses, with their baskets to collect the petals.
The ‘Rare is the Rose’ movie is available on YouTube. The cinematic journey was made by an all-Omani team with the Production Manager Ayman AlSaqri, Writer Mustafa Al Lawati, Presenter Mohammed Al Saqri, Cameraman Amjed Al Balushi, Cinematographer Anas Al Balushi, Gaffer Ali Alajmi, while Ammar Al Mazroe was both Editor and Director. Meanwhile, the Production house was Inspace, and the Project Manager was Mujahid Al Malki.