The roses grown here are a special variety called the Damask rose or Rosa damascena. They have been grown in this valley for more than 300 years. The oil extracted from their petals is so concentrated and precious that it is sometimes called 'liquid gold'. It takes about 3,000 to 5,000 roses to make just one gram of pure rose oil.
Picking roses is careful, gentle work. The petals must be harvested very early in the morning, before the sun rises too high and evaporates the fragrant oil. Whole families go into the fields together at dawn, filling large wicker baskets with blossoms. The picking season only lasts for about three weeks, so everyone works quickly.
Rose oil from Bulgaria is used in some of the most famous perfumes in the world. When you smell a bottle of high-quality perfume, there is a good chance it has Bulgarian rose oil inside. The oil is also used in soaps, creams and even food flavourings.
Every year the valley celebrates with a Rose Festival in the town of Kazanlak. There are parades, folk music, dancing and a pageant where a Rose Queen is crowned. Visitors can try picking roses themselves and watch the old copper stills where the petals are boiled with water to extract the precious oil in a cloud of sweet-smelling steam.