Rothana Dates تمر الروثانة

Unlike Ajwa and Safawi, which travel the world, Rothana has remained a local cultivar known best to Madinah's own people. It is sold as rutab at the very start of the season in the city's markets, and the first pick is eagerly awaited as the herald of date summer.

A dark, soft, moist fruit with moderate sweetness and a faint tang that makes it refreshing in summer heat. Being high in moisture, it is mostly eaten fresh or kept chilled rather than cured.

Rothana is among Madinah's earliest cultivars, reaching rutab in late June or early July in some orchards — weeks before Ajwa. That makes it the key that opens Madinah's rutab season every year.