While most of us will have heard of frankincense there will be fewer of us who will know what it is or where it comes from. It is a pleasant smelling resin taken from the boswillia tree, it is used in perfumes and incense.

The bark of the tree is scraped off and the resin is collected as it bleeds from the tree and hardens in to tear shapes. There a number of varieties of the trees that the resin comes from so there is a number of different smells from them. Because the trees grow in almost any environment, no matter how harsh, they grow in the Middle East and other hot climates.

The frankincense found in Oman is often said to be the best there is, with some countries over cultivating the trees the resin is becoming rarer and much more valuable. The frankincense is graded by colour, quality, smell and general appearance, the top two are known as silver and hojari. Omani people say the silver is best Europeans put hojari first. This is probably due to the fact the favourites of each area is the one that grows the best in the area.

Some of the frankincense in Oman is used in the thriving perfume trade from the area.  The Omani oud is one of the perfume ranges.  It is described as having a musky and even woody aroma, one that you would link to the Omani countryside and the markets of the area.

Omani oud is a great perfume to buy for its aroma but also as a sentimental reminder of where you bought it from. Oman Bakhour is another frankincense derivative. Usually sold in wood,and powder  like form it is designed to be burnt in order to give off aromatic smoke. The Omani bukhour is often burnt in elaborate burners fired by charcoal or electricity. Some of the burners are so elaborate they make great ornaments on their own.

All the Omani frankincense products will remind you of time spent in Oman, if you can’t get there to make the purchase all the products can be bought via mail order and online. Frankinsense can be found at the city centres in Oman , also the souq in Muttrah , along with a heap of other shops, like LuLu , and Carrefour.

The smells will be those you will experience in the shops, houses and streets as you walk around the traditional towns and cities. As long as the over harvesting is brought under control you will be able to purchase and use Omani frankincense for a while to come.