December 20, 2007

By KEVIN PILLEY

A guide pricks the bark of a frankincense tree in Oman

SALALAH, Oman – Laila al Nudbi's dark eyes smiled warmly through her veil. It was a very soft sell. "This is the best, sir. This is finest quality, sir. This will make you smell better. Life will also taste better."

The eyes laughed again, her hands holding a small pile of translucent pebbles of frankincense. An incense burner smoked on the counter beside her. The air was filled with the sweet smell of an ancient past.It's possible that the aromatic gift of frankincense carried to the newborn Jesus came from Oman, scholars say. The desert nation has exported the precious material for more than 2,000 years.

Laila's job is supplying luxury incense, perfumes and essential oils. Wearing her black abaya gown, she works every day at Abu Mohd (Shop No. 2) in the Al-Husu market of Salalah, on Oman's southern tip. Like nearly everyone else in the market, Laila stocks oblong tears of congealed resin from frankincense trees.

The bustling ancient market in the narrow, sandy alleys is full of well-priced gold and silver, turbans, kummah caps, sandals, copper coffeepots and ceremonial daggers. Tailors offer fittings for gentlemen's robes, ladies' wear and traditional velvet dresses.

But the shops with the baskets, jars and plastic bags of tears are the most common. Tears are very precious, said to have been as valuable as gold two millennia ago. They're necessary commodities on the Arabian peninsula: good for you and good for business. And they're on everyone's shopping list.

Although it has a long tradition of fishing and shipbuilding, the Dhofar region, 600 miles southwest of the capital Masqat, has been known for centuries for the production of frankincense.

The Frankincense Trail is as ancient as the Silk Road. The 18-mile-long, 12-mile-wide coastal belt and the mountain range not far from the Yemeni border receives southwest monsoon winds from June to September. Mists blanket the region in an impenetrable pea soup, creating perfect conditions for growing frankincense trees.

For four months, Dhofar becomes the coldest place in the Arab world – before becoming the greenest.

"You will be amazed at the difference in landscape within a matter of miles," explains my guide, Naser Sulaiman Al-Mani, as we drive past roadside stalls selling papayas, bananas and other tropical fruit. Coconut palms sway. Grass grows all around us.

Leaving the outside lane to Chryslers and Chevrolets, camels form a contraflow on the ring road before the pavement peters out into a dirt track in the arid foothills. We bump and cough our way to Wadi Dawqah, one of the world's oldest frankincense fields.

Along with nearby Hasik, Wadi Adawnib, Wadi Andhur, Ulyun and Thumrayt, Wadi Dawqah was an important stop in the caravan routes as far back as the fourth century B.C. It was the first place in Oman to produce frankincense, large globules of which were packed into goat and sheepskin carriers and exported.

For centuries, frankincense has been central to many religious practices. It was used by King Solomon, Emperor Nero and Tutankhamun. It was Oman's first oil. It made the country rich and famous. Such history earned Wadi Dawqah a place on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

As we jolt through the dust and spindly trees, Naser explains that a good frankincense tree (genus Boswellia) tree can produce up to 22 pounds of frankincense annually for up to 30 years.

The sun beats down mercilessly. We examine the frankincense trees as Naser talks. "They don't look like much. ... They are ugly and beautiful at the same time!"

He bends to pick up a rock. He uses it to saw into the bark of a tree. A thin white liquid bubbles from the tree. "It is approved," he says, cupping the liquid in his hands. "We can all help ourselves and tap any tree any time. It is a public resource."

He continues: "The Arabs call African frankincense asli and their own luban. Hebrews refer to incense as lebonah or ketoreth. The Three Wise Men, of course, brought frankincense along with myrrh, which is another tree resin."

The purest frankincense is colorless or with a slight green tinge. The best (silver or male) is white-silver and brittle. The cheapest is brownish yellow. All have a balsamic odor and a bitter, aromatic taste. After it crystallizes, frankincense burns easily and slowly with a bright white flame. The most sought-after is breast-shaped or like the union of two tears. Prices range from $1.50 to $70 per pound.

Frankincense trees also are found in central India, the Coromandel coast of New Zealand and Ethiopia. But the Boswellia carterii, considered the best producer, grows only in Somalia in east Africa, around Hadramaut in Yemen and in Dhofar.

Perfuming your house is an Arab tradition. Passing around an incense burner is considered a mark of respect and hospitality. The type of frankincense you use can be a status symbol or an indicator of sophistication. Public places have huge frankincense censers.

In Oman, frankincense also is chewed to relieve indigestion and freshen the mouth.

The first frankincense museum will open soon on the site of the historic harbor at Salalah. But Oman, second-largest country on the Arabian Sea, is not all about frankincense.

Frankincense sap congeals on a tree in Oman. The purest is colorless or with a green tinge.

Oman, whose history can be traced to 12,000 B.C., is modernizing. In Masqat, the Ibadi Islam muezzins compete through megaphones from their minarets with charter jets and construction work. Paintings of the sultan stand alongside corporate logos. The souks compete with spas and wellness centers. Date cultivation has given way to cultivating investment. Traditional arts and crafts are being overwhelmed by the modern science of engineering, public relations and the hotel industry. The country's first luxury hotel, the Shangri-La All Bissah, recently opened. There are plans for a Greg Norman grass golf course.

Salalah remains ancient Oman, a link to an illustrious and rich past.

"Dhofar is a unique and fascinating place," Naser says over lunch. "People come down from Masqat to literally dance in the streets. The area is so lush and verdant, and only two hours over the mountains from the Empty Quarter, or desert."

Up in the Jebel foothills of South Oman is the Tomb of Job, who is mentioned in both the Koran and the Bible. The queen of Sheba's palace was in Khor Ruri near Samhuram, which was famous as a frankincense port.

The Dhofar region also is said to be the final resting place of Nabi Imran, father of the Virgin Mary, as well as Emran, father of Moses.

Naser looks at his watch, begs my pardon and says he must go home to tend to his baby lion. Seeing my quizzical frown, he explains that his 2-year-old son is called Laith, baby lion. He shakes my hand. "Southern Oman is natural Oman. Old Oman," he says in parting.

Masqat is changing, but Salalah may never change. Frankincense will always be a reminder of the past. In Salalah's markets, however, you can see the present and the future. Once Omani women such as Laila kohled their eyes with burned frankincense. Now it's Chanel.

Contact: Oman tourism, 011-968-2458-8899; www.omantourism.gov.om.

Kevin Pilley is a freelance writer in the United Kingdom.

Source: The Dallas Morning New