Frankincense (Oman)

Frankincense shaped trade routes that linked the Arabian Peninsula with the Mediterranean for millennia. Ancient Egyptian texts refer to the resin as the ‘Sweat of the Gods,’ and biblical passages mention it alongside myrrh as gifts for a newborn king. Omani ports such as Salalah exported the material in sealed amphorae, fueling the incense markets of Rome, Persia and India. The resin’s aromatic smoke marked royal ceremonies, funerary rites and daily prayers, reinforcing its status as a sacred commodity. By the 16th century, European explorers recorded that Omani frankincense commanded higher prices than spices like cinnamon. Today, perfumers and aromatherapists still draw on its clear, resinous character to anchor modern creations, linking contemporary scent work to a lineage that stretches back to the first incense burners of antiquity.