Hot Spot

SOUK SCENTS Long before petroleum was discovered in the Middle East, Arab trade was dominated by incense, fragrant resins and perfume woods—and Oman, as the center of this trade, prospered. It may seem something of a contradiction that Omanis, given their conservative customs, would indulge in the extravagant and heady scents of rose oil, musk, sandalwood, myrrh and frankincense. But a trip to the souk, or traditional market, in Muttrah quickly reveals this penchant for perfume is not just an aesthetic pleasure—it's big business with a long history. Omanis have been extracting frankincense from the Boswellia carterii tree since the 6th century B.C., and have been exporting the rare resin—worth more than its weight in gold—around the Arab world for the past 3,000 years.

A dizzying array of fragrant powders, wood chips, oils and waters can be found among the meandering alleyways of the souk. Burlap sacks of sandalwood, red saffron, rose petals and golden nuggets of bakhur, or incense, pack miniscule shops, some barely large enough to hold their proprietors. Rows of unlabeled glass bottles, filled with fragrant oils, are the basis for Omani perfumes. In the shops, Omani women, clad from head to toe in black, extend hennaed hands to select and combine their favorite scents. An Omani woman may be quiet and modest when she walks past, but her signature aroma can't be missed.

These traditional fragrances were the inspiration for Amouage, one of the world's most expensive scents. Created by Frenchman Guy Robert, who has fashioned perfumes for Chanel and Dior, Amouage combines more than a hundred natural oils—including silver frankincense from the Dhofar region of Oman, and rock rose, which grows on barely accessible Omani hillsides. Amouage comes in clever minaret-shaped bottles decorated with traditional Omani designs. One of these gold and leaded crystal bottles will set you back about $3,000 in Paris or London, so you might want to opt instead for a $5 bottle of scented oil from the souk. That's more than enough to conjure up the flavor of Oman long after you have left the "land of frankincense."