Frankincense-2

© Ross Hayden. Frankincense tree in stony desert, Wadi Dawkah

The most famous plant of Dhofar is the frankincense tree. For thousands of years its gum has been utilised as a perfume and as a medicine.

The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is a sailors’ guide book written in about the second century A.D. In this book the writer refers to “the frankincense port of Moscha, the site of which is believed to be Khor Rori” (Nigel Groom), 40 km east of present-day Salalah.

© Ross Hayden. Dhofari frankincense seller

The gum from the frankincense tree (Boswellia sacra) is also known as frankincense (English, Portuguese, Spanish). Its name in other languages is: lûbân (Arabic),  libanos (Greek), olibanum (Latin), encens (French) and weihrauch (German).

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