Jeddah - Incense, Oud and Bakhoor

This post offers more pics of Saudi's incense culture.  Above is a large sculpture of an incense burner in my city of Jeddah.  Jeddah is home to many sculptures of ordinary objects that are turned into gigantic sized works of art.  By the way, incense burners here are called Mabkhara, which is what I'm guessing this sculpture is known as.  

The most common forms of incense in the kingdom are called Oud or Bakhoor, which is derived from the Aquilaria tree species.  The fragrant resinous heart of the Aquilaria tree is called Agarwood.  Oud is actually the perfumy oil extracted from the tree.  Bakhoor is small Agarwood chips from the Aquilaria tree that are soaked in the aromatic oils known as Oud and are burned over charcoal to produce the woodsy sweet scented smoke.  

Burning incense is said to be good for relaxation, that it can relieve stress and anxiety.  However medical studies have also shown that there can be dangers associated with breathing in incense, such as respiratory issues like asthma or lung inflamation.  

I've always had a thing for incense ever since my hippie days back in the 1970s. Here in Saudi Arabia I am intrigued with all the shops selling scrumptious scents and the oversized incense burners everywhere.