This 102-year-old shop in Kashmir is still making rose water the traditional way, with Koshur gulab

Abdul Aziz Kozgar, 66, at the 102-year-old Arq-I-Gulab Waan shop in downtown Srinagar. (Photo: Irfan Amin Malik)

The downtown area of Srinagar city houses a rose water shop that is more than a century old. Locally known as Arq-I-Gulab Waan, it is the only surviving rose water distillery in Kashmir Valley, situated only a few steps from the famous Khanqah-e-Moula shrine.

The smell of roses fills the air in Fateh Kadal locality as the shop owner Abdul Aziz Kozgar, 66, sells several litres of rose water daily in unlabelled plastic containers that aren't pre-filled or stamped.

The light grey-bearded Kozgar does not talk much, and mostly remains busy with his customers. “A litre of traditionally-made rosewater is sold just for Rs 45, due to which it has attracted young and old customers,” says Kozgar unsmilingly. Apart from locals, a good number of foreign tourists have been visiting this historical shop which carries 500 years of Kashmir’s legacy.

Inside the wood-and-brick shop, there are pictures of Sufi saints pasted on the walls. The shelves are stocked with dark-coloured glass bottles and antique-looking jars of varying sizes - there are handwritten Urdu and Persian slips pasted on them. “I have been making and selling rose water since childhood,” says Kozgar in chaste Kashmiri.

Some of the bottles in the shop have gathered years and dust, but he wants to preserve them in remembrance of his great-grandfather, grandfather and father.

Uses of rose water

Kozgar says that rose water can be used in skin care, as a coolant for the stomach, and can also be added to Kashmiri Kahwa to get more fragrance.

Rose water is also a common ingredient in South Asian sweets—Ladoo, Gulab Jamun and other dairy-based varieties.

How is rose water made

“The rose water is distilled from Koshur Gulab (Kashmiri roses), sourced from various parts of Kashmir. I don’t use any machines and the rose water is made manually,” Kozgar says, refusing to share the skills and techniques he uses to make the rose water .

People familiar with rose-water distillation in Kashmir say that the rose petals and other herbs are boiled in a copper cauldron, and the vapours travelling through the mass of coils are condensed and distilled. “However, rosewater through traditional distillation is a slow process which takes almost 3 to 4 hours.”

Kozgar’s rosewater is traditionally sprinkled on devotees in masjids, shrines, temples, gurdwaras and during wedding celebrations. It is also used in numerous dishes during cooking to get the aroma and as a refreshing addition to Sharbats as well as sprinkled on handkerchiefs during intense summer days.

The shop was opened in 1820, by Kozgar's grandfather Habibullah. (Photo: Irfan Amin Malik)

Benefits of rose water

Natural rose water is said to have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. It contains antioxidants that can help guard skin cells against damage. Rose water has traditionally also been used to soothe sore throats. Rose water is commonly used in aromatherapy, to help relieve headaches. It is also found in beauty products aimed to reduce wrinkles, and in folk medicine, rose water has been used to aid in digestion and reduce digestive upset.

The shot

Kozgar’s shop was opened around 1820 by his grandfather Habibullah Kozgar after he imported jars, decanters and other things from France and the UK to open a business in Srinagar. “I have still preserved the traditional method of making rosewater,” says a nostalgic Kozgar.

Wearing a white skull cap Kozgar recalls the skills he acquired from his forefathers who moved to Srinagar from Turkey more than 400 years ago. “I feel the craft of rose water is now a dying tradition. I am the last person from my family lineage associated with this business,” the father-of-three tells Moneycontrol.

Though rose water is the USP of Kozgar’s business, the shop also sells perfumes, herbal syrups for stomach and kidneys, besides providing traditional Perso-Arabic medicines for different ailments.