"Qamsar, The Capital of Golab" a Qamsar Travel Page by Behi

85.02.22
6 am
from Vanak Sq.
Heavy Traffic, ~11 AM Ghamsar
~13 pm Kashan
~23 pm Tehran, Vanak Sq.

Qamsar is ~290 km to the south of Tehran & ~30 km to the south of Kashan.

This city is main center for Golab(=Rose Water) production.
Golab has amazing smell & used in some foods, ice cream & for perfume.
It is produced from variety of Rose called Gole Mohamadi

It was Sassanid Shahanshah's perfume.
after islam the name of flower changed to Gole Mohamadi (Flower of Mohammad) & a tale was made that Golab smells prophet.
now it's consider as islamic perfume & large amount of this rosewater is sent to Mecca to wash the Kaaba with it.

before Arab invasion, the rose gardens was in Pars province around Shiraz. after massacres in Shiraz,
people immigrated to Kashan & villages around it.
one of those ancient garden is still alive & they produce best quality Golab.

They have Jashnvare Gol-o Golab(=Festival of Flower & Golab ) Every year at late of April

at 1st day, the most beautiful girl in village must pick first flowers then other women clean flowers, then she get flower to a man (Dana) whom produce Golab & wishes a good marriage for herself & fortunate year for all.

after this they start Golab production

If you want to see whole story, you should be there 4 or 5am
when they pick flowers from Gardens, they've to do it before sunrise because sun decrease flower smell & also dry the flowers & another reason is bees

then they clean & boil 15-35 KG flowers in 70 Lit water & transfer steam in another container which is in water to cold steam & convert to liquid.
Golab is ready!

If you buy Golab, it's heavy & not smell very well & a thin film of oil is on top of it (The oil is perfume)
you must keep it for 20 days & add some water to it for usage.