Summary Surrounded by majestic mountains and sitting on the shores of the Indian Ocean, the city of Salalah is the second largest in the Sultanate of Oman. For centuries, its Al-Haffa district has been famous for its incense souk. The market is a small one, but it still has some 150 shops. Many of them carry similar wares; it is their personality and expertise in blending fragrances that keep the vendors in business. For Omanis, perfume is an essential part of everyday life. Incense accompanies prayers and scents homes and clothing. It is even believed to have medicinal properties and to help purify air. For all these reasons, it has traditionally been highly valued, earning the nickname "desert gold." Forget about those little sticks that come to mind when you think of incense. At the Al-Haffa market, incense comes in numerous forms: perfumes, skin creams, wood shavings (bakhour), chewing gum, mineral water, and even incense-flavoured ice cream. Omani men choose their fragrances just as carefully as women do. They set their incense-burner on the floor and tent their long robes over it, allowing the smoke to fill the space and scent the skin, hair and clothes. Many Omani families have been harvesting frankincense for generations, from trees that grow all over the region. Boswellia Sacra is a hardy, drought-resistant tree whose bark is scored to release resin. In 2000, UNESCO recognized the historic importance of this "Land of Frankincense" with a World Heritage Site designation. While incense was once a source of great wealth for Oman, desert gold has now been supplanted by black gold as the country's economic driver. But for thousands of Omanis and Middle Eastern tourists, the rich aromas of Al-Haffa market will always be irresistibly alluring.

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