Following the road to frankincense

By Claire Morris-Contributing writer

Oman-When Christmas carolers sing, "We three kings of Orient are," they might not give much thought to where the kings are travelling from, but it's likely these "wise men" were following an ancient route out of Oman. This Arabian country is called the Land of Frankincense for a reason -with the exception of East Africa, southern Arabia is the only part of the world where frankincense trees flourish.

The kings took frankincense to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem, but today the prized substance follows a different route, leaving its source-Dhofar province on the Yemen border-to end up in Muscat, Oman's capital. Here it dominates a display in the Al Bustan Hotel, and is sold in Muttrah, Muscat's principal commercial district. It is also combined with rosewater and myrrh in the fragrance Amouage, marketed as the most valuable perfume in the world.

I wanted to visit the source of this gift of kings, to see the trees that grow only in Dhofar because it is the only region of Oman to be touched by monsoon rain. And so I travelled over 1,000 kilometres across the desert from Muscat to Salalah, Dhofar's capital, following this present-day frankincense route in reverse.

Oman's interior is a different world compared to prosperous, impeccably clean Muscat, and it's not hard to understand why. Just one road crosses a landscape so harsh and hot that even the camels feeding on desert scrub look desiccated. Wind-blown sand partially obscures the road, explaining why Toyota Land Cruisers are the vehicle of choice in these parts. This road connects five outposts: gas stations and guesthouses for those who need a break from flat gravel expanses and seemingly endless dunes.

As we skirted the notorious Empty Quarter, the "beware of camel crossing" signs brought to mind the camel caravans that would have trekked to the lost city of Ubar, now buried in the sands. I imagined the three kings passing from the hills of Dhofar along that very route, carrying frankincense northwest to Bethlehem.

Frankincense was also exported by sea from Samhuram, 30 kilometres east of Salalah. Known locally as the Queen of Sheba's palace, this ancient port now crumbles into the sea creek called Khor Rawi, where Omani families picnic on Thursdays and Fridays. It's said that the Queen of Sheba travelled from Samhuram to Jerusalem specifically to discuss frankincense exports with King Solomon.

I caught sight of my first frankincense tree as I made my way from Samhuram to Salalah. Twisted and short, it grew alone in a wadi bed. Unless cultivated, this is how they're found, and they seldom exceed five metres in height. Strips of bark are removed from the tree trunk to leave oozing sap. This is allowed to harden; then, in the months preceding the monsoon, the resin is chiselled away, and sold in the markets of Salalah or shipped to Muscat. The best quality frankincense is extracted by tribespeople from trees on the desert side of the Dhofar mountains.

In Salalah, the narrow alleys of the Old Souq are the place to buy frankincense. Between Al Balid-a medieval ruin, itself built on the ruins of an ancient Sabaean city-and Sultan Qaboos's Al Hisn Palace, concrete niches have replaced stalls roofed with palm fronds, but vendors of "Luxuries and Incense" display open sacks of frankincense crystals, as they must have done for centuries.

Considered in ancient times to be the perfume of the gods, Egyptians and Mesopotamians burned frankincense in their temples. In the Arab world, frankincense has been used medically, but it is valued chiefly for its aroma. Frankincense crystals, scattered on glowing charcoal and often sprinkled with perfumed powder, are burned in painted clay containers that vary in size from two-inch squares to floor models. Omanis flap their robes over smoking frankincense to envelop themselves in their country's most identifiable scent.

The Emperor Nero apparently burnt more frankincense at his wife Poppaea's funeral than southern Arabia could produce in a year. Two thousand years later, it is still used for reverential purposes. I found frankincense burning not only in the souq and in restaurants, but also in shrines, including the tomb of Job, a figure revered in Muslim, Judaic and Christian tradition. Here, in the hills above the Salalah plain, fragrant smoke wafted about a shrouded monument, proving that frankincense is as prized a substance in twenty-first century Oman as it was in the days of King Solomon, Nero, and Jesus and the three kings.

posted on 12/29/2004