THE young Saudi, Salman, clean-shaven with a white ghutra and black robe over his white thobe, was about to make his way to the female’s section in the wedding hall, along with his bride’s father, when all of a sudden a relative stopped him and asked: “Aren’t you forgetting something? “You aren’t perfumed yet.” Salman was not going to be sprayed with Bulgari, Chanel, or Dolce & Gabbana. Instead, he was about to be perfumed with bukhoor, the incense from oud or what Arabs have referred to over the centuries as the “Perfume of Kings”. The incense smoke rising from the small chips of oud will remain as a fragrance in his thobe and ghutra for hours, if not days.
Weddings are just one of the occasions when oud is used in Saudi Arabia. Just as hospitable as the Arabian greeting itself, oud is used when guests come, when hosts are greeting important people or on any happy occasion. The incense spreads in small thick clouds which leave behind an aroma that delights the nose.
Oud is said to come from southern and southeastern Asia. The trees from which the small chips are derived usually grow in hot and humid climates and usually live between 60 and 100 years.
Abdullah Al-Salman, an oud merchant who has been in the business for 30 years, says he inherited the business from his father who imported the substance from India decades ago. He pointed out that there were several kinds of oud: Cambodian, Barnawi, Malaysian, Indian, Kelimantan (from Indonesia) and Jaboora.
“Indian oud is considered to be the finest in terms of quality and scent,” he said. “But nowadays, importing oud from India is rare due to the large demand and shortage of supplies.” Following Indian oud in quality is the Cambodian which produces a thick aroma. “A good quality oud chip can be distinguished when small bubbles are seen as it begins to burn,” Abdullah explained.
Manufactured oud chips are common in the market because they are cheaper than the original. The artificial chips are sold for about SR2,000 per kilo while the original Cambodian oud brings SR60,000 per kilo.
In addition to the small wood chips, another form of oud known as “ma’mool” is used in Saudi households. The small brown balls are a combination of leftover oud mixed with other perfumes. The balls, just like the Oud, are put on a small piece of charcoal in a mibkhara (a censer) and as they burn, they produce a pleasant smell.
The oil from oud trees is available as a liquid and is sold as a “tola” which is a small bottle. The oil is wiped on the hands, neck, face, or clothing and the fragrance can remain for several days. The price of a tola containing 20ml of oud oil usually ranges between SR1,200 and SR2,000 depending on the quality.
One oud seller said there were many tricks used to deceive uninformed customers. One is to add extra shine to the wood chips so a customer thinks it is of fine quality. Other traders may add metal to the inside of the wood in order to increase the weight. Customers think the heavier the oud, the better its quality. The seller said, “One of the most common tricks is to light a particularly high quality chip when a customer comes into the shop.” In a short time, the customer says that he likes it and wants to know what type it is. He is then fooled into buying a large quantity that is a different type and is also much cheaper than that which the seller is burning.
“The best way,” said the seller, “is pick put your own oud chip from what is in the store and ask the salesman to light it for you.”
Just as people are obsessed with perfumes, there are those who are obsessed with oud and oud oil for their personal use. Saud Al-Dosari, a resident of Riyadh, says he spends up to SR10,000 on oud products per year.
Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr are two of the high seasons for selling oud in Saudi Arabia. According to local reports, the Saudi market for Oud is estimated to be some SR600 million. The percentage of sales in the Kingdom is estimated to be a quarter of total oud sales in the world market, estimated at SR2.5 billion last year.
