A team of researchers in the Zagros Mountains of Iran has discovered a complex of stone distillation vats and charred botanical remains dating to the Achaemenid Empire. Chemical analysis confirmed the presence of Rosa damascena, providing the earliest archaeological proof of the Gol-ab (rosewater) extraction process used in ancient Persian spring festivals.
The site, located adjacent to an ancient fire temple, suggests that the "Festival of the Roses" was a deeply spiritual ceremony. The aromatic water was likely used for the ritual purification of the temple and the participants, a tradition that has endured for millennia and continues to define the cultural heritage of the region today.