Murrush: Rose Water Sprinkler Sculpture

Jeddah is home to hundreds of unique sculptures, many of which I have featured on this blog.  This particular sculpture is of a "Water Blessing Sprinkler" or "Rose Water Sprinkler," an ancient Middle Eastern gadget called "murrush" that was used to sprinkle rose water on the palms of visitors to one's home to greet them.  It was also offered after meals to cleanse or refresh the hands.  In my research for this post, I came across some really beautiful designs and colors of rose water sprinklers. 

Rose water has been associated with the Middle East for centuries.  It is also used in cooking (great in dessert puddings) or you can just add a drop to flavor a pitcher of drinking water (heavenly!).  I wrote a post about a rose water factory in Taif that we visited, if you are interested in the process of how rose water is made.