Turkish Halfeti Roses are incredibly rare. They are shaped just like a regular rose, but their color sets them apart. Rose so black, you'd think someone spray-painted it. But that's actually their natural color.
The stunning black roses make great props in a movie about witches and black magic, or a heavy-metal video. There's something quite charming about it, in an extreme sort of way.
Although they appear perfect black , it is actually a deep crimson color . The flowers are seasonal - they only grow during the summer in small numbers, and only in the small Turkish town of Halfeti . Thanks to the unique soil conditions of the region , and the pH level of the water fountain ( that seeps in from the river Euphrates ) , the pink take on an unparalleled color . They are dark red bloom during spring and fade to black during the summer months .
The local Turks seem to enjoy the love - hate relationship with these rare blossoms . They consider flowers to be the symbol of mystery , hope and love, and also of death and bad news . Unfortunately , the black rose Halfeti is an endangered species . They have been under threat of extinction since the residents of the village moved from the ' old Halfeti ' in 1990 , when the Birecik Dam was built .
Old Halfeti and many other villages were submerged under the waters of the Euphrates, when the dam was made. The new Halfeti village was re-built on the basis of Karaotlak village, merely 10 kilometers from the old location
Proved fatal for good black pink short distance. The Villagers replanted them in their new garden, but the flowers do not take to their new environment as well. There was a steady decline in the number of black roses to grow in the region.
District officials have made efforts to save the roses. They collected seedlings from village homes and replanted them closer to their original environment greenhouses. They are doing slightly better, ever since.
Seeing a black rose in full bloom is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. Do not miss it if you ever happen to be in Turkey during the summer!