Una rosa es una rosa…
¿o qué es?
Oh, Halfeti – la joya de la corona turca. Con su maravillosa fusión de tradiciones bizantinas, armenias, egipcias y otomanas. Y un pueblo muy versado en el intercambio comercial con el resto del mundo.
Spices and soft leathers. Cloth and coffee. Some of the most desirable treasures in the world are found where the continents of Europe and Asia meet. Of all the commodities traded in and around the town of Halfeti, the most coveted was the black rose. La flor más peculiar de todas procedía de las cercanas orillas del Éufrates. The roses bloom only once a year, displaying their petals of darkest red. It’s said to be the combination of terroir and the pH of the river that makes the roses appear soft black in the hot summer sun.
News of this fabled black rose travelled fast across the seas, and a quest for the truth began. On their journey of olfactive discovery, travellers became enamoured with the unusual skylines of Halfeti, dominated by domes and minarets, and the grand kasbahs confusing to even the most intrepid explorers. These emporia emanated exotic sounds, sights and scents. The tale of a rare flower had sparked curiosity for more. The cogs were turning. A fragrant icon was to be born.
A trip to the bazaar exposed these explorers to Levantine spices – cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon and saffron. Estas especias se encontraban apiladas en coloridos montoncitos por la medina. No se trataba de un comercio a gran escala; no se necesitaba mucho. Una pizca era todo lo que se requería para poder crear un poco de misticismo oriental. With oil extracted from the rose petals, the notes of Halfeti were beginning to sing.
Nuestro fragante viaje a través del Golfo Pérsico continúa… El oscuro pachulí nos va relajando en un viaje hacia una fascinante base almizclada de resinas, oud y ámbar. El oud muestra su mayor sutileza, mezclado con la suavidad aterciopelada del cendro y las maderas de sándalo. Smelling these final notes is akin to watching glowing embers of firewood, or seeing the sunset on the Turkish coast as ships head back to England with their precious cargo.
An icon was born.