Frankincense in Oman
Oman, on the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula, is the place to find boswellia sacra, the frankincense tree.
The traditional home of frankincense is Dhofar, the southernmost region of the sultanate bordering the Arabian Sea. Up to 7,000 years ago, caravans would start out from here on their long journey west, bearing crystals of the musky perfume. Scattered among the stony beds of the wadis (dry valleys) and on the southern slopes of the Dhofar Jebel (mountains) are gnarly, weather-beaten trees producing the world's best frankincense.
In summer months, the subcontinental monsoon just reaches the southern coast of Oman, shrouding Dhofar in a misty wet season known as Al Khareef. Between the end of June and the beginning of October, when the rest of the Arabian Gulf is sweltering in temperatures pushing 50C, Dhofar sees gentle rain and an average daily temperature of 25C.
Salalah, the coastal capital of Dhofar, is a centre for frankincense. Salalah's city museum offers the best insight into the history of frankincense; artifacts include exquisite old clay incense burners, model dhows (traditional boats once used to transport the perfume to Oman's colonies in Africa and India) and vicious-looking tools for collecting the musky sap.
As with rubber harvests, the tree is slit with a special knife, called the mingaf, and left to weep a milky white sap, collected when it has crystallised. The first cut, the tawquii, produces the purest and most valuable resin - much of which is exported for use in perfume and cosmetics. The second and third cuts, made at two-week intervals, produce a yellower resin, and its crystals, resembling unrefined sugar, are sold in the local markets.
The Romans were among the greatest consumers of frankincense. The Egyptians also considered the tree sacred; its sap was used in embalming rites, enabling the gods to sniff out the righteous. Among its many uses in Dhofar, the purest crystals are given as wedding gifts.
Along with the camel caravans, thousands of ships exported frankincense from Dhofar to Egypt, Palestine, the Far East and Europe.
