Oman: A perfumer’s dream

THE legendary frankincense of Dhofar and the elusive roses of Al Jabal al Akhdhar create the perfect destination for perfumers in search of inspiration and history.

After several years of planning, this April a group from the British Society of Perfumers travelled to the fabled land of incense. 

There is so much to see that choosing the itinerary is a challenge of its own; having been to Oman several times I really wanted the group to experience as much as logistically possible in nine days, packing in a maximum of experiences. 

On our first excursion, we visited the magnificent Al Bustan Palace InterContinental Hotel, where we were assailed by the magical scent of frankincense in the grand atrium, a perfect introduction to the scents of time. Frankincense is omnipresent: The impressive highways and roundabouts feature giant frankincense burners.

We then carried on through the old town, where His Majesty the Sultan’s palace took centre stage; next stop, the Bait al Zubair Museum to give a taste of Omani history and traditions as well as a variety of scented plants, including lemons, frangipani, banana plants and the local yas. Some of the group were on their first trip to a Muslim country so the sound of the call to prayer as we neared the souk added atmosphere.

The souk offered a cornucopia of delights: there are bottles and scents by the thousands, ranks of incense burners in bright colours, stalls selling frankincense, fragrant woods (wurss), multiple Bokhur, snail shells, henna, and so on, all waiting to be pounded into the local bokhur (incense) mixes. Each stall holder vied for attention and soon each of us was bartering for a bokhur or other. The time flew by, with just time to taste a local mango juice, before driving to the Marina where we feasted on local Hamour and Kingfish under a canopy of stars.

Our Friday morning’s early start was to take us out to breakfast with the dolphins. Much to everyone’s delight, they appeared very quickly outside the Marina Bandar al Rowdha; some mothers and babies were amongst the frolicking dolphins, always an added bonus as well as a few energetic spinners. We then moved into calm waters and snorkelled; the array of colourful fish mesmerised even the least efficient snorkellers, such as myself and a pair of cuttlefish starred in an underwater ballet much to our fascination.

Our early morning efforts were then recompensed with the copious brunch at the Crowne Plaza, followed by an enlightening meeting with Yuthar Mohammed al Rawahiya, Fathiya Mubarak al Hinaiya and Rabha Ali al Suleimaniya of the National Association for Cancer Awareness, where we learnt first hand about the local problems and progress being made.

The next day started a visit with the impressive Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque. The remarkable chandelier and intricate carpet in the main prayer hall captivated the group. The entrance to the prayer hall seemed scented with rose water but as I discovered coming out, the attendants spray the shoe holding area with rose fragranced air freshener, not quite the romance of the rose water but better than smelly shoes!
 
Our first Omani fort at Nakhal, where the date store, which still retains the smell of them, was an added attraction to travelling “noses”; even the walls were smelt and memorised.

All appreciated the impressive gunroom and the views. Next stop, the picturesque and cool shade of the trees overhanging the hot springs of Ayn A’ Thowarah; we improvised a picnic and marvelled at the villagers caring for their goats, fetching water from the stream in stark contrast with the satellite dishes on the roofs and the schoolchildren coming back in the latest Nike trainers!

Next one the planned highlights of the trip, the Amouage factory, where we were greeted with Omani coffee (with cardamom and dates) served with baklava and pistachio delicacies whilst Houda el Moubdi regaled us with the tantalising history of the Amouage brand. For perfumers involved in the creative side of a project, the insight into the marketing of such a prestige brand really is a treat. We also got a glimpse behind the scenes, where each perfume is hand packed.

The CEO, Chandra Lahiri, also joined us for an informal chat. Buzzing with excitement, we then visited one of the local Amouage shops where we were shown the exclusive oils that are used to blend in-store; although the Amouage brand is distributed throughout the world in prestige outlets such as Harrods, only in Oman is it possible to have your own scent blended.

The day was rounded off with an excellent meal at award winning Indian restaurant, Woodlands. For anyone looking on, we must have been a comical sight: amongst our trade it is not unusual to smell and re-smell your skin where new scent has been applied; fresh out of Amouage all our arms were therefore being analysed. Lyn, an anosmic amongst our group, found us all very entertaining to watch. As she said none of us smell like normal people: we smell once, analyse, prevaricate, describe and return for more, much like pollinating insects! So no herb, spice or taste was left alone.

Saturday’ s early start took us to in the Nizwa direction to the Al Jabal al Akhdhar; after the formalities of the check point we proceeded to climb into the majestic Jabal; the hills are an awesome experience with sheer drops, vast canyons and a geology lesson on display. The “wow” factor is truly at each corner. The stop-off for views also leads to an exploration of all possibly fragrant plants.

Our route then took us to the terraced roses plantations, where the smell of the damascena roses wafts across the hills; an amazing scented experience so high in the hills yet so warmly fragrant. The roses grow amongst other aromatic plants; the pomegranates and the almond blossoms contribute to a fabulous perfumed symphony. Having experienced the live flowers we stopped off for an improvised picnic and in-situ distillation by our expert Peter Wilde.

We arrived next at a village where they are still using the traditional distillation methods; for people from what is now a high tech industry, this is really stepping back in time and also experiencing something surely unique; to my knowledge nowhere else in the world are roses distilled in this manner.

The petals are put into a pottery vessel, which is heated from underneath, nowadays with gas. A receptacle is put in at the top of the petals and the vessel is closed with a lid, containing water; when all the water from the lid has evaporated the rose water is ready to be collected from the receptacle; the water is then left in a shallow bowl to separate out the scented water and the charcoal. The burnt petals are subsequently used as fertiliser on the terraced fields. This process is repeated long into the night.

Talking to the villagers, we also thought it might be interesting to share our experiment of field distillation; the younger men were fascinated and saw an immediate business opportunity; the elders were less sure but could not keep away — an evening, which will be the talk of Al Aqn village as well as our group.

We then returned for a well earned night’s rest at the Al Jabal al Akhdhar hotel; the sunrise over the hills is a sight to behold and we set off early the next morning for a visit round Nizwa. The vegetable and fish souqs were in full swing much to everyone's delight. With everyone keen to taste local honeys and sample various spices and ground coffees the time flew by and we were soon en route back to Seeb airport for our flight to Salalah, to discover the frankincense trees.

A quick flight and we were transported to a totally different landscape, with lush vegetation: bananas, paw paws and coconuts line the road to the beach side hotels. The Indian Ocean rollers come crashing in with force, creating a fabulous background sound. As we relaxed round the pool after dinner, large fruit bats gave an energetic display, dive-bombing the water.

Musallam Hussein, our Salalah guide, organised for us to meet up with his family at a distinctive frankincense tree; it was flowering, bearing seeds and resin all at once! Never has a tree been more admired or photographed! Mussallam’s father demonstrated the art of cutting the tree’s bark for the resin to ooze whilst chanting a good luck mantra. The atmosphere was charged with excitement as these trees yield one of the most ancient scent ingredients used since the Ancient Egyptian burned it daily.

The flowers, the seeds, the resin were all admired and photographed before carrying on to the old town of Samharam, one of the main export ports for the frankincense. It is now being restored as part of the Unesco heritage trail. The site inspires contemplation about the ancient trade and what this part of the world must have been like. After encountering a heard of camels, we went on a wildlife trail in search of flamingos, which we found as well as white egrets, grey herons; a real treat for the keen birdwatchers amongst us.

Lunch was freshly barbecued fish overlooking the sea at Mirbat, where the incense burners are crafted. Returning to Salalah, we took advantage of the Ocean waves for a cooling, refreshing and invigorating dip in the ocean before descending on the frankincense souk in the evening.

The traders, all women, must have felt it was a dream come true; every stall was poured over, scents and blends discussed, frankincense and burners bartered for; the perfumers were like children let loose in a sweet shop. Frankincense grades were tasted compared and prevaricated over. Every stall holder has a different notion of which incense is best: The bokhur mixes were burnt and their various merits pondered over and the eventual purchases were discussed at length over dinner.

On the way to the airport the next morning we tasted coconut milk fresh from the shell, whilst admiring some weaver birds nests high above in the coconut trees; these experiences must surely lead to creative inspiration. Heading back to Muscat where our next fragrant stop is a rendezvous with Ahmed at Amouage’s Sabco centre shop who was poised to give us a demonstration of his perfumery blending skills using local blends and ingredients.

A fascinating couple of hours flew by before our last dinner, a Persian meal at the Shiraz in the Crowne Plaza. A deliciously different taste experience, overlooking the Indian Ocean on a balmy evening. We played a game of the most memorable sights, sounds, tastes, touch and of course smells. The quietness of the Jabal, the crashing of the rollers at Salalah and the man made call to prayer were the top sounds; the frankincense trees, topped the lists of sights with dolphins, underwater fish and the Jabal roses all getting mentions.

The most sensational touch was the fresh frankincense resin; the most memorable tastes were the fresh fish at Mirbat and the mint cooler at the Marina; the most outstanding smells were the rose scents in the Jabal and the ever present frankincense. There could be no better way to round off our tour of Oman, described by all as a trip of a lifetime. Inshallah, we will come back.

British Society of Perfumers
Rhona Wells, fragrance consultant, led a group of 11 other members on a tour of Oman. The group comprised: Clio Vidal, perfumer at CPL Aromas in Germany; Julie Towle, perfumer at Phoenix Fragrances; June Gibbs, Clinical aromatherapist; Stan Owen, Regulatory Affairs Manager, Givaudan UK, and partner Lyn Duffus; John Ayres, fragrance consultant and partner Judith; Sima Dadamiya, natural fragrance creator, Mary Flowerdew, chemist; and Peter Wilde, fragrance entrepreneur. The logistics were organised by UK based Omantravel.

The British Society of Perfumers was founded over 40 years ago, by perfumers, to help gain recognition and status in the perfumery industry for perfumery as a profession. The Society, which currently has over 200 members, aims to promote education within the perfumery sector and holds every two years an expert seminar to educate the younger members of the industry.

Rhona Wells