The Art and History of Perfume:

Perfume, literally meaning “through smoke”, began as an art form in Ancient Egypt, developed further in Rome, Persia and East Asia. In keeping with ancient tradition, Taher & Sons aims to further perfume first and foremost as an exquisite art form.

Islamic culture encourages the use of perfume, as exemplified by the actions of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) himself. “The taking of a bath on Friday is compulsory for every male Muslim who has attained the age of puberty and the cleaning of his teeth with Miswaak (twig as toothbrush), and the using of perfume if is available.” (Ibn Umar, Book 13: Hadith 5)

Perfume is a form of tangible, personal art. Creating quality perfume requires precision and skilled technique, layering multiple primary scents and supporting notes used to create fragranced oil capable of transporting oneself wherever imagination runs.

After a truly spectacular fragrance oil is prepared, it is blended with ethyl alcohol and water, preserved in dark, cool containers to rest for several weeks. The longer the period of preservation, the longer the scent will linger. After the preservation period, the liquid mixtures are filtered through processing equipment to allow the solution to stabilize and remove any unwanted solid particles before it can be poured into a bottle that matches the delicacy, beauty and luxury of the perfume itself.

The Art and History of Incense:

Heat unlocks the beauty of incense, the vapours of which commingle with the air, filling space with scents of comfort and warmth. Incense has been used for centuries for reasons including religion and culture, air purification, and even aromatherapy.

The Chinese use Agarwood (chénxiāng) and Sandalwood (tánxiāng) incenses in their religious ceremonies. In the Arab world, Bakhoor, wood chips soaked in essential oils, is a commonly used incense providing rich, smoky aroma to homes and clothes whenever burned. Truly excellent incense is the expert combination of aromatic plant materials occurring in nature, and essential oils (attars).

Incenses are usually burned either directly or indirectly; indirect burning requires a source of heat to the incense’s container for the incense to burn beautifully satisfying smoke. Direct burning incense can be burned directly by a flame. The typical Arabic incense (Bakhoor) is always burned on charcoal. The Bakhoor along with the charcoal is usually placed in an incense burner known as Mabkhara.

The Art and History of Attar (Essential Oil):

Attar, or essential oil, is the foundational element of any perfume; it is the oil base that gives a perfume its unique scent. Historically, oils were extracted from vegetables, plants and animals, using a tool known as “degs” for distillation. Today, attar is mainly extracted from botanical sources by either steam or hydro-distillation.

Extracted oils are left to age on different wood bases, such as sandalwood, and the aging process can take anywhere from one to ten years, or even longer, depending on the desired concentration of essential oil. Attars are 100% alcohol-free, and are thus organic substances that do not damage delicate clothing and sensitive skin.

The Art and History of Oud (Agarwood):

Oud has a unique smell uncommon in nature, and is also known as agarwood, aloe’s wood, gaharu or jinko. Oud has gained worldwide popularity owing to its cultural and religious significance, as well as its inimitable scent of luxury and opulence. Before being used as a fragrance, oud was used as medicine in ancient times.