Incense and Perfume |
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Incenses are invariably a part of a social life in the UAE. Incense burners are shared amongst guests during all celebrations. It enables them to perfume their bodies and clothes. Incense and perfume accompany locals not only at home; the powerful fragrances can be sensed at shops, restaurants and pretty much everywhere in the UAE. During the social gatherings, different oil perfumes can also be circulated around, especially amongst the women, who usually apply them to their hair.
There are basically three types of incense, oud, bukhoor and attar. Oud (agarwood) is wood with specific smell and it is one of the most valuable and expensive incense available on the market. Prices often go as high as 40,000dhs per kilogram. Bukhoor, is a cheaper version of incense costing up to 800dhs per kilogram. It is a mixture of scents, which usually looks like pieces of charcoal or wood soaked in fragrant oils. These two need to be burned in an incense burner called mabkhara. Attar is an oil-based perfume extracted from flowers, herbs and spices, often mixed together.
Additionally, incense cakes called dukhan are sold in the shops. They are produced from the mixture of grounded bukhoor, attar and sugar. You may also come across aromatic resins called frankincense, which are produced by tapping of the Boswellia tree. It is often added to incense and to perfumes or burned on its own. They each have a different quality, but those produced in Oman and Yemen are regarded as the best. |
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