Roses, which have become symbols of love, passion, separation, longing, and even hatred, come in various colors like yellow, red, and pink and are admired all around the world. However, black roses, which grow only in Halfeti, a town in Turkey’s Şanlıurfa, and lose their color and texture when taken away from this region, might be a variety of roses that many of you are hearing about for the first time.
Often, when people hear about black rose, they assume that these roses are artificially created, non-organic, or dyed. Just like red and pink roses, black roses are real and authentic. In fact, they have unique characteristics compared to other roses. In recent years, they have gained popularity in Turkey and are being sold at high prices. In this article, we will explore what black rose means, where and how it is cultivated, and why its color turns red.
Why Does Black Rose Only Grow in Halfeti?
While black rose is often associated with Halfeti, there’s an interesting twist to the story. Although Halfeti is said to be the homeland of black rose, just like we lost the tulip to the Netherlands, we have also lost black rose to the Netherlands. Interestingly, these roses are exported to various parts of the world from the Netherlands at extremely high prices, and when people think of black rose, they think of the Netherlands rather than Halfeti.
Halfeti, the so-called homeland of black rose, has a long and ancient history dating back to the 9th century BC. While today Halfeti is mostly known for being submerged under the waters due to the construction of the Birecik Dam, it also carries the distinction of being the homeland of black rose.
So far, none of the studies have explained why black rose can only grow in Halfeti or why they can’t be planted elsewhere, resulting in the roses not maintaining their black color. However, one thing we can say is that black rose belongs to Halfeti and can grow there. Most likely, the climate and soil conditions in Halfeti provide the best environment for black roses. This is why this type of rose, often called Karagül, turns red once you transplant it to another location, even within Halfeti. The climate and soil of Halfeti are unique and appear to be essential for the black rose to maintain its color and characteristics.
How to Cultivate Black Roses?
Black roses should be grown in Halfeti, as mentioned earlier. Even in Halfeti’s soil, they grow red when taken out of their natural environment. Halfeti’s unique soil composition, which is closest to the texture of their original soil, should be used for cultivating these roses.
Black roses are half double petals, aromatic, and known for their aromatic nature. These roses are 1.5 meters tall on average and have a sophisticated and dense appearance.
In recent times, greenhouses are set up to cultivate black roses. While the Netherlands is far from our soil, it uses a soil structure similar to Halfeti’s. One of the most crucial aspects of cultivating black roses is the soil. After sowing the seeds into the soil, the plant should be watered generously. After the rose has sprouted, it should not be removed from the soil under any circumstances. Even if you transplant a Karagül bush within Halfeti, it will lose its black color shortly after transplanting and turn red.
What Does Black Rose Symbolize?
Flowers, including roses, have been given various meanings throughout history. While white roses symbolize innocence, red roses have represented love for centuries. The belief associated with purple roses symbolizes jealousy. Black roses, on the other hand, are not necessarily a symbol of mourning.
While black is universally known to symbolize summer, grief, evil, absence, black has also been considered the symbol of nobility and the beginning in Islamic Sufism and Ottoman classical literature. Perhaps for this reason, the meaning of black roses symbolizes a new beginning and is associated with the concept of nobility and renewal.
In conclusion, black roses symbolize renewal after an ending.
