Although rose varieties have been grown in Anatolia since ancient times, the cultivation of oil roses and the production of rose oil were carried out by Turkish immigrants from Kazanlık (Bulgaria) to Anatolia after the 1877-1878 Turkish-Russian War. During the reign of Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II (in the 1880s), systematic rose cultivation was initiated in various regions of Anatolia with state encouragement. Although the first rose gardens were initiated in Bursa and Istanbul and many other Anatolian provinces, they later developed only in the provinces of Isparta, Burdur, Afyon and Denizli, and this region became the center of rose oil production in our country. Rose saplings were first brought to Isparta in 1888 by Bulgarian immigrant Müftüzade İsmail Efendi from the Kızanlık region of Bulgaria.

Although there are 24 species of roses in the flora of Turkey, the species used for obtaining rose oil is Rosa damascena Mill., which is cultivated and also known as Isparta Rose. It is thought that Rosa damascena Mill. (Oil Rose, Pink Oil Rose, Isparta Rose) is a hybrid of Rosa gallica L. and Rosa phoenicia Boiss. species.

Rosa damascena; Also known as Isparta Rose, Pink Oil Rose, Oil Rose, Gum Rose and Damascus Rose, it is a perennial, thorny and winter-resistant plant that grows between 1.5-3 m tall, blooms pink, semi-double and strongly scented flowers. Its trunk is cylindrical, full, dark colored, multi-branched and the branches are surrounded by many large and small hard thorns. The leaves are soft and covered with fine hairs. Its flowers are slightly drooping, more or less dark pink in color and are sometimes found singly, but usually have glandular hairs.

Oil rose; It likes climates that require a moderate climate, are open, airy, have plenty of light, are dry in spring, do not have climate events such as frost and frost, and have dew during flowering time because dew increases the oil yield in oil roses.

The fact that the highest oil rose production in our country is made in Isparta and the high yield and quality of oil roses grown in Isparta has led to the public thinking that "the most suitable climate character for growing oil roses is the climate character of Isparta province".

Isparta province constitutes a transition region between the Central Anatolia and Mediterranean Regions, which are two separate regions in terms of climate. For this reason, summers are hot and dry, winters are cold and rainy. Summers are not as hot as Western and Southern Anatolia, and winters are not as harsh as Central Anatolia. It has a complete transition climate character in terms of precipitation, and the annual precipitation is 500-600 mm. The maximum temperature in summers does not exceed 38°C and rarely drops below -15°C in winters.