فِي مَدِينَةِ الطَّائِفِ مِهْرَجَانٌ لِلْوَرْدِ كُلَّ سَنَةٍ. اسْمُهُ «قِطَافٌ»، وَمَعْنَاهُ وَقْتُ قَطْفِ الْوَرْدِ. وَهُوَ فِي مُنْتَزَهٍ، فِي مَوْسِمِ قَطْفِ الْوَرْدِ. يَزُورُ الْمِهْرَجَانَ نَاسٌ مِنَ الطَّائِفِ، وَسُيَّاحٌ مِنْ دَاخِلِ الْمَمْلَكَةِ وَخَارِجِهَا. وَفِي الْمِهْرَجَانِ مُزَارِعُونَ وَبَائِعُونَ كَثِيرُونَ. وَهُمْ يَبِيعُونَ الْوَرْدَ لِلزُّوَّارِ. يَعْرِضُ مُزَارِعٌ مِنَ الطَّائِفِ وُرُودًا وَفَوَاكِهَ، مِثْلَ الْخَوْخِ وَالتِّينِ وَالْعِنَبِ وَالرُّمَّانِ. وَفِي الْمِهْرَجَانِ مَقْهًى فِيهِ مَشْرُوبَاتٌ بِطَعْمِ الْوَرْدِ الطَّائِفِيِّ وَالْخُزَامَى. فِي وَسَطِ الْمُنْتَزَهِ سَجَّادَةٌ كَبِيرَةٌ مِنَ الزُّهُورِ. فِيهَا أَكْثَرُ مِنْ مِلْيُونِ زَهْرَةٍ وَوَرْدَةٍ. وَهِيَ أَكْبَرُ سَجَّادَةٍ فِي الْمِهْرَجَانِ. وَرُسُومُهَا مِثْلُ الرُّسُومِ عَلَى جُدْرَانِ قُصُورِ الطَّائِفِ الْقَدِيمَةِ. وَيَرَى الزُّوَّارُ السَّجَّادَةَ مِنْ جِسْرٍ عَالٍ. وَفِي الْمُنْتَزَهِ عُرُوضُ نَافُورَاتٍ مَعَ أَغَانٍ وَطَنِيَّةٍ. يَبْدَأُ مَوْسِمُ قَطْفِ الْوَرْدِ فِي آخِرِ مَارِسَ أَوْ أَوَّلِ أَبْرِيلَ. وَيَبْقَى الْمَوْسِمُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ شَهْرٍ. الْجَوُّ فِي الطَّائِفِ بَارِدٌ قَلِيلًا، وَالْأَرْضُ جَيِّدَةٌ لِلْوَرْدِ. وَيَقْطِفُ الْمُزَارِعُونَ الْوَرْدَ بِالْيَدِ. ثُمَّ يَجْمَعُونَ أَوْرَاقَ الْوَرْدِ بِعِنَايَةٍ. لَوْنُ الْوَرْدِ الطَّائِفِيِّ وَرْدِيٌّ، وَرَائِحَتُهُ طَيِّبَةٌ. وَيَصْنَعُ النَّاسُ مِنْهُ الْعِطْرَ.
In the city of Taif there is a festival for roses every year. Its name is “Qitaf”, and it means rose-picking time. And it is in a park, in the rose-picking season. People from Taif visit the festival, and tourists from inside and outside the Kingdom. And at the festival there are many farmers and sellers. And they sell roses to the visitors. A farmer from Taif shows roses and fruit, such as peaches, figs, grapes and pomegranates. And at the festival there is a café with drinks that taste of Taif roses and lavender. In the middle of the park there is a big carpet of flowers. It has more than a million flowers and roses. And it is the biggest carpet at the festival. And its patterns are like the patterns on the walls of Taif’s old palaces. And visitors see the carpet from a high bridge. And in the park there are fountain shows with national songs. The rose-picking season starts at the end of March or the start of April. And the season lasts more than a month. The weather in Taif is a