Frankincense in the souk
Emily Petch.
I was struck by the sweet, woody smell as I sat in the majlis at our beach camp. I soon discovered it was frankincense - a smell we'd all become very used to over the next few days. Ever since this first encounter, I was looking forward to browsing the different varieties of incense when we visited the souk.
A few days later we saw our first frankincense tree. From a distance it didn't look like much, but on closer inspection we saw small pieces of frankincense resin scattered beneath the tree. Once we reached Salalah, our guide took us to the best incense stall in the souk. Our time was limited as the lady running the stall would shortly have to shut-up-shop for mid-morning prayers. Everyone was asking what was in the multicoloured bottles and jars that filled the shelves. Whilst answering our questions (translated into Arabic by our guide), the stall holder was weighing quantities and sealing packages of mysterious resins, powders and oils.
The call to prayer started ringing through the streets and as the crowds started moving towards the mosque, it was time for the stall to be temporarily closed. We left with nostrils filled by exotic scents and bags full of oud, frankincense and myrrh.
