The Frankincense Trees of Wadi Dawkah

For to a greater extent than than v ,000 years , the Arabs bring traded ii highly prized fragrances —frankincense together with myrrh— obtained from trees that grow alone inwards the southern destination of the Arabian Peninsula. The dried , aromatic sap was transported yesteryear caravan across the Sinai desert to Arab Republic of Egypt , via the together with thus called “incense route” , from where they were loaded onto ships together with sailed to far away destinations across the Mediterranean Sea.

Frankincense together with myrrh were inwards high ask from Europe to Asia. The Greeks , Romans , Egyptians , Israelites together with numerous other cultures used these perfumes every bit business office of their religious ceremonies , together with inwards burial rituals every bit an embalming cloth , together with every bit an offering to the departed. Frankincense was i of the 3 gifts brought to the babe Jesus yesteryear the 3 wise men , according to The Gospel of Matthew.

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Photo credit: Chris Price/Flickr

Besides its aromatic properties , frankincense has many practical uses. The fume from burning frankincense drives away mosquitoes together with other flight insects. Traditionally , Frankincense has been used to cure a broad diverseness of afflictions , including ulcers , hypertension , nausea , fever , indigestion , breast coughs together with post-childbirth recovery.

The incense merchandise flourished betwixt the 13th century BCE together with the quaternary century CE , making the Arabs merchants around of the richest inwards the world. But i time Christianity became the dominant religion , cremation was replaced yesteryear burials which led to a pregnant decrease inwards the ask for incense. The role of cosmetics for torso assist likewise diminished drastically inwards the Christian basis , which frowned on luxuriousness together with indulgence inwards bodily pleasures. The perfume merchandise tardily died out together with many cities along the merchandise routes were gradually deserted.

Population of the frankincense tree itself has been tardily declining , partly due to over-exploitation. In add-on , burning , grazing , together with attacks yesteryear the longhorn beetle bring reduced the tree population.

One of the master sites where this tree grew , together with however grows , is Wadi Dawkah inwards Oman. This dry out valley has an estimated v ,000 frankincense trees growing , the oldest of which are estimated to travel to a greater extent than than 200 years old. The sap from the trees is however harvested hither yesteryear the local tribes.

The frankincense trees of Wadi Dawkah , along alongside the remains of the caravan oasis of Shisr together with the abandoned settlements of Khor Rori together with Al-Baleed bring been collectively inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage listing every bit “The Land of Frankincense Sites.”

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