Healing wounds, preventing infection: UAE beekepers reveal secrets behind Dh1,200 mountain honey

Healing wounds, preventing infection: UAE beekepers reveal secrets behind Dh1,200 mountain honey

KT Photos: Muhammad Sajjad

Published: Wed 27 Dec 2023, 6:55 PM Last updated: Wed 27 Dec 2023, 7:40 PM

The 8th edition of the Hatta Honey Festival has kicked off and is running until the end of this month. It has seen participation from 60 local beekeepers, who are showcasing the quality of their honey.

“All honey available here at the festival is the purest without any adulteration. However, Sidr and Samr honey are expensive because [they are made without] human intervention,” said Khalid Al Bedwawi, who is participating in the Hatta Honey Festival. The Sidr and Samr varieties can be priced up to Dh1,200 per kg.

Blossom honey

Hussain Al Jabri, co-founder at Rahiq Al Shahd, sells honey starting at Dh80 and going all the way up to Dh400 at his kiosk. “The cheapest honey at the festival is the blossom honey. The time frame for its production is about 4 months from November to March. [The bees] collect nectar from every flower and are not specific like the Sidr and Samr plant flowers. The taste and the quality of the honey is the purest but it [does not] have any medicinal value,” said Al Jabri.

Medical uses

“When it comes to Sidr honey, the time