Oud – An Expert Guide

Emirates Woman dives into the rich history of the highly-coveted fragrance, which carries such strong significance throughout the Arab region

- OLIVIA MORRIS

Oud – or oudh – is one of the most expensive raw fragrance ingredients in the world. Known in English as ‘agarwood’, the value of a kilo of oud can be just as expensive as a kilo of gold, sometimes even more. With an instantly recognizable woody scent, the fragrance ingredient originates from the bark of trees which are only found in South East Asia.

It’s a scent which has become synonymous with the Middle East over thousands of years and can be traced back to the time of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H). “He started the tradition of fumigating oneself with oud – a practice that is followed by Muslims today,” Fathiya Al Marzooqi, the co-founder of Alchimie tells Emirates Woman. “The Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) referred to oud as an item found in Paradise.”

It’s an inherent part of life in the Middle East and a part of Arab culture in general. Today, it’s used as a traditional aromatic and perfume in many forms: from high-grade wood chips burnt to welcome guests into one’s home, to perfuming garments and also perfuming the household with a rich and opulent fragrance. To delve deep into the history of oud in the region and the significance it has, Emirates Woman sat down with two experts – Fathiya Al Marzooqi, the co-founder of Alchimie and Salim Kalsekar, Managing Director of Rasasi Perfumes.

Salim Kalsekar, Managing Director of Rasasi Perfumes