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Drinks · For the kitchen · Gifts
Rose and herb syrup for cold drinks
The ruby-red syrup that opens the fast in every Pakistani home.
$5–15
Find Hamdard Pakistan Rooh Afza on Amazon ↗If you buy through this link we may earn a small commission. It never changes your price.
The story
Rooh Afza is a thick, ruby-red syrup scented with rose. Stir a spoonful into cold water or milk and you have the drink that appears at almost every iftar table in Pakistan during Ramadan.
Its name means “that which refreshes the soul”, and on a 45-degree afternoon in Karachi, it does.
In pictures
Photos coming soon. Each frame below says what it will show.
History
Rooh Afza was created in Delhi in 1906 by the Hamdard herbal company. After independence in 1947, Hamdard Pakistan was founded in Karachi and makes its own Rooh Afza. Today there are Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi versions, made by separate companies.
This page is about the Pakistani one, made by Hamdard Pakistan.
How it’s made
Rose, fruit and herbal extracts are blended.
They are mixed into a thick sugar syrup.
The syrup is bottled in its tall glass or plastic bottle.
Kinds
Rooh Afza, cold water and ice.
Mixed with cold milk. Pink, sweet and very popular.
Added to fresh lemonade.
Drizzled on falooda, kulfi and shaved ice.
In Pakistan
It opens the fast at sunset in Ramadan, cools guests in summer and turns up on desserts from falooda to gola ganda.
Buy it well
| Genuine | Likely a copy |
|---|---|
| Hamdard Pakistan, Product of Pakistan | Other countries’ versions, or unrelated rose syrups |
Where to buy
We may earn a small commission. Your price is the same.
Find Hamdard Pakistan Rooh Afza on Amazon ↗Typical price: $5–15, before shipping. Read the “Buy it well” checks above before you order, and ask the seller for photos of the exact piece.
Questions
About one to two tablespoons per glass of cold water or milk.
It comes from the same origin, but it is made by a different company. We point you to the Pakistani one.
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