Bakhoor/bakhour/bukhoor; this is the name given to unique wood chips which are soaked in fragrant perfume oils or other natural ingredients from flower oils to resins. These chips are then burned in special charcoal burners in order to unleash the deep and rich woody fragrances throughout the entire vicinity. This tradition is common in Arabian culture and often performed on special occasions or even as a form of relaxation throughout the house. The Bakhoor is often passed among guests within the main living area(majlis) as a signal of respect and hospitality. In recent years, due to the beautiful scent of bakhoor becoming more well known and sought after, many perfume makers have formulated various perfume oils (attars) that replicate this rich aroma, such as our authentic bakhoor perfume.
What is Bakhoor Made Of?
Generally, when we refer a woodchip as Bakhoor then it means the chip encompasses muattar, mamool and mabthooth. Mabsoos/Mabthooth is generally referred to specific term for when shavings of oud wood are also used and soaked in fragrant oils and they are often combined with other botanical sources of fragrance such as herbs. Bakhoor is made mainly of natural ingredients and every creator of bakhoor has their secret recipe that distinguishes her/him from others. Some of these makers inherited the art of making Bakhoor from their great ancestors and still keep the secret from generation to generation. In Yemen, Oman and other Arab countries, it’s called Bakhoor while others in the Gulf countries it’s known as Bukhoor. They are the same but in Yemen and some Arab countries Bakhoor is hand-made using “cooking method” (on fire) while other countries use “baking method” where resins are made by baking (similar to clay where direct fire is not used). The longer the Bakhoor kept on a closed glass jar, the better the scent become. Mastery of bakhoor making may take years and sometimes the skills are brought down for one generation to the next.
How to Choose Good Quality Bakhoor?
If you’re a newbie or haven’t used the Bakhoor before, you need to pay attention to pick the right quality bakhoor chips.
Bakhoor is often sold in low quality forms with minimal agarwood content in order to reduce its price. This however also reduces its quality as agarwood oud is the reason for the high price tag on most bakhoor due to its rarity and potent scent. The bakhoor market can easily fool you into purchasing bakhoor with low quality or minimal oud content bakhoor in exchange for a more reasonable price.
However, there are manufacturers who indeed value the process of incense-making and manufacture the high-quality Bakhoor using top grade Oud, incenses and natural perfume oils. Though their products are expensive than the rest available in market. This why we suggest exploring other forms of the same scent such as our bakhoor scented oil which is more suitable for people who wants to experience the fragrance but in a much more concentrated and direct format that can be applied as perfume rather than to the entire atmosphere. Our Bakhoor attar oil has a remarkably similar scent to bakhoor despite having no agarwood content allowing us to share the bakhoor fragrance with people of all budgets.
How to Use/Burn Bakhoor at Home?
The most effective way to burn bakhoor and distribute is wonderful scent through large areas is by burning it. This is the most common way and for good reason as the bakhoor oil is realised into the atmosphere and diffuses to every corner of the room.
To burn Bakhoor at home, you will require to keep below things handy:
1. bakhoor chips
2. Incense burner
3. charcoal discs
The bakhoor is then ready to be burned by these following steps:
· Place the incense burner on a stable, heat-proof surface away from anything flammable, and put a charcoal disc inside it
· Apply fire to the plate till you see sparkles along the coal
· Soon after, you’ll observe grey ash over the top which means the disc is ready.
· Now place the bakhoor on disc and you’re ready to experience the fascinating bakhoor aroma
Always burn bakhoor in a well-ventilated room, with a window or door open while the charcoal is lit: burning charcoal produces carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell. A little smoke goes a long way, and the fragrance stays in the room after the smoke clears.
To perfume your clothes with bakhoor, hold the fabric above the smoke for a few minutes, keeping it well clear of the hot charcoal.
Never leave burning charcoal or bakhoor unattended. Keep the burner away from children, pets and anything flammable, such as curtains, bedding and furniture, and never burn bakhoor in a room where someone is sleeping. If you burn charcoal at home, a carbon monoxide alarm is a sensible precaution. When you have finished, cover the mabkhara (burner) with a heat-proof lid or clay dish to put out the charcoal, and only throw the charcoal away once you are sure it is completely cold.
History of Bakhoor
The extremely wealthy ancient Chinese used to make their coffins out of this aloeswood while in Buddhism, the most precious Buddhist string of beads numbering to 108 is made of agarwood. The burning of fragrant wood chips to perfume homes and clothes are prominent among Chinese nobleman. Agarwood also has been associated with the Chinese tradition of Feng shui, a discipline of governing the flow of energy in a particular place, and the Oud wood and fragrant incense has been associated with producing good luck and positive energy wherever it is placed.
It was the eminent Queen of Yemen, Arwa Suleyhi, who would send large wooden boxes of Bakhoor to Najaf, Karbala and Egypt.When it was burnt the atmosphere of the sacred cities became very pleasant and people knew that the gift from Yemen has reached its destination.
Romans and Greeks are also known to have used Bakhoor in religious rituals. It would be transported over thousands of miles up to the Mediterranean, before it could be traded on to Europe. Bakhoor was also used in vast quantities by the ancient Egyptians. History holds vast evidence of the uses of Bakhoor in Biblical literature too. It was one of the fragrances presented to the infant Nabi Essa and is always used during religious ceremonies. After the fall of the Roman Empire the newly established Christian Church adopted several ceremonies – including the ritual burning of Bakhoor. It is well recorded that it was the practice of all king of England once a year to offer Bakhoor and Myrrh on the Feast of Epiphany (Jan. 6th).
In addition, Bakhoor was widely used for important ceremonies, such as the consecration of churches and bishops. Then of course Spain was ruled for centuries under Muslims, again giving a magnificent opportunity to spread the Muslim customs in those regions. Later on, the Ottomans promoted the cultural heritage of Islam in the west through their military expeditions, whose evidence still remains visible today. According to the valuable sources of “Qaratees al Yamaniyah”, during the period of Suleyhi Power, first from Sana’a and later Zeejiblah, a large quantity of costly Bakhoor along with other fragrances were regularly presented to the Al Haramyn al Sharefyin, Kabah and Rauzat al Nabawi.
How is Bakhoor used?
Bakhoor is not gender-specific and can be enjoyed by everyone, though some may prefer a blended version of bakhoor due to the strong, potent smell of pure oud bakhoor. In the Middle East, men and women burn Bakhoor to fragrance their houses and also their clothes so that the lasting scent will permeate the whole garment.
Saudi women walk around the house holding the burner to scatter the smoke in every room. They also wave their abayas and clothing above the smoke so that it picks up the rich scent. Other Saudi women use Oud and Bakhoor as body perfume by applying ‘dehan‘ a ‘spreadable form’ on their hair. They put some of the dehan on the tip of their fingers and run it through their wet hair, or they just wave themselves, their clothes & hair over & around the smoke coming out of the Bakhoor burner.
It then perfumes the home, clothing & upholstery such as curtains, Sofas & carpets, with a rich, thick scented smoke. This procedure is commonly practiced in many Arab homes, on special occasions like weddings, on Fridays, or when expecting guests. It is also popular to use bukhoor when wanting to eliminate stubborn odours like Tobacco, pet smells or cooking smells, fried foods or especially after having cooked something as strong smelling as fish.
Having said that though, Bukhoor is not completely alien to the rest of the world. Christians are frequently seen using bukhoor & burning it in the same method as the Arabs do, during church services and at Christian homes as well, for blessing.
The use of oud oils, wood chips and bakhoor goes back to time immemorial, to the age of the Sanskrit texts, the Torah, the Gospel and the Islamic scriptures.
Bakhoor in spiritual traditions
Buddhist and Tibetan monks burn oud wood during meditation, and agarwood also features in Sufi and Japanese rites.
Many people find burning bakhoor a soothing ritual in itself.
