Ghaliyah – The Incense

Al-Zamakhsharī the great polymath narrates in his Rabīʿ al-Abrār wa Fususal-Akhbār;

‘Abdullāh bin Jaʿfar gave Muʿāwiyah (RA) a glass bottle (qārūrah) of perfume; and Muʿāwiyah questioned how much he had spent on it.

Jaʿfar replied “A hefty sum (māl),”

Muʿāwiyah said, “This is valuable (Ghāliyah)”

And that is how the name Al Ghāliyah was born – the valuable, the dear, the grand.

When I was inspired to compose GHALIYAH The Incense Sticks I immediately knew it was not going to be an easy feat. It had to live up to its name, its legacy.

The blending of the famous Middle Eastern perfume Al-Ghāliyah was an art, and the ʿAbbāsid caliphs excelled in it. Perfumers who possessed exceptional skills in the blending of the Emir’s favourite scents would be substantially rewarded and kept in favour. Those who were most skilled with Al-Ghāliyah were the most highly regarded – almost an unofficial recognition and royal proclamation of the skill and talent of the perfumer.

Over 360 hours of creative effort, passion and love were spent in the composition of this olfactory wonder. It is one thing to compose a perfume which can be easily applied and tested but it is totally a different ball game when crafting incense sticks. Every test involves grounding and pounding of material, kneading of the dough, extruding, rolling each stick with precision, drying, burning studying the burn, scent and smoke. If any additions are to be made the ingredients must be reprepared, grounded and the process begins again. For each iteration the sticks have to be constructed right from the initial powder up and some of the ingredients take over 24hours of continuous grinding alone.

Siberian musk, beach washed white ambergris, Sulawesi sink grade oudh, Hindi Maleki Oudh, Zargul Saffron from Iran, Mysore Sandalwood, Nangarhar and Ta’ifi Rose, combined with a dozen other premium natural raw materials to create GHALIYAH – These incense sticks are something to behold. They make you reflect, they arose ones feelings, they engage the mind and senses, it awakens you.

Top: Rose, Saffron, Cinnamon, Vanilla

Middle: Musk, Myrrh, Hojari Frankincense, Mysore Sandalwood

Base: Leather, Oudh, Wood, Powder Musk, Oriental resin

The sticks have great silage, projection and longevity.