Esengül Artisoy is a rose harvester living in the village of Senir near the city of Isparta in Turkey. Esengül, whose name means “roses in the wind”, was born into a family of rose farmers. Her family no longer cultivates their own roses, but the rose harvest, starting in May of each year, is her favorite time of the year. The season is short and the blooms are plucked before the sun dries the precious oil contained within rosa x damascena - one of the two types of roses in the world which produce the oil. The Turkish farmers and harvesters are responsible for some sixty percent of the world’s annual rose harvest.

Isparta is a southern Anatolian province known as the land of roses, located approximately two hours inland from the Turquoise Coast town of Antalya on the Mediterranean Sea. The scenic countryside features gently rolling hills covered seasonal blooms with their scent, of rose or of lavender, drifting on breezes towards Lake Burdur. As the area has not yet developed the caliber of accommodations qualifying for this travel guide, our recommendation is to visit the fields and local producers on a day excursion arranged during the harvest season by perfumer Joanne Klein Wolternik,  www.essentialtravel.nl.