GINORMOUS INCENSE BURNERS

Many malls and businesses have huge incense burners like these, measuring well over three feet tall and filling the air with delicious scents.

 

SAUDI HOUSEWARES

I'M ALWAYS DRAWN TO SAUDI GRAPHICS LIKE THESE TEACUPS

AREN'T THEY PRECIOUS?

MINI TEACUPS IN A SET OF 6 WITH PLATES SOLD AT DANUBE

THEY MAKE GREAT SOUVENIRS & GIFTS

SHINY DALLAHS - SAUDI TEAPOTS

FANCY INCENSE BURNERS AND DALLAHS

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WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

LUXURIOUS DECOR OF JEDDAH'S RITZ CARLTON

BRIGHT REFLECTIONS ON BLUE GLASS

INCENSE WAFTING THRU THE AIR AT THE MALL

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SIGNS AROUND SAUDI

ESCALATOR WARNING SIGN

EIFFEL TOWER GRAPHIC BUSINESS SIGN

VIP SIGN WITH "P" AS A HOOKAH

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INCENSE BURNER FACTORY IN HAIL, SAUDI ARABIA

CARVING THE WOOD BASE

WAITING TO BE COVERED

APPLYING METALLIC FINISHING

FINISHED INCENSE BURNERS IN DIFFERENT SIZES

A big Thank You to my friend, tour guide Mohammed at Najran Tours, for allowing me to showcase these photos for today's post.  Visit him on Instagram - @NajranTours  and on FACEBOOK.

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OUR WORLD TUESDAY

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PICTORIAL TUESDAY

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JEDDAH WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

TRADITIONAL MENSWEAR SHOP WINDOW

THE BEAUTIFUL SHERATON JEDDAH HOTEL ON THE CORNICHE

LARGER THAN LIFE INCENSE BURNER IN MALL

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SCENES FROM AL BALAD

TRADITIONAL SAUDI DRESS & MAN WITH HENNAED BEARD

SHOPKEEPER SELLING INCENSE & PERFUMES, WAITING FOR CUSTOMERS

BULK OUD & FRANKINCENSE, PERFUMES & CREAMS

MOSQUE IN THE DISTANCE

SHOP WINDOW DISPLAY OF MIDDLE EASTERN WARES

AL BALAD IS THE OLDEST SECTOR OF JEDDAH. 

THE ORIGINS OF THE CITY DATE BACK TO 647 A.D.

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WEEKEND ROUNDUP - LETTER "I"

STARTS WITH "I" - INCENSE BURNERS

"ICE" LAND MALL IN JEDDAH

A "FAVORITE" - ICE CREAM

(THIS PHOTO WAS IN AN ART EXHIBITION IN JEDDAH. 

SORRY I DON'T KNOW THE NAME OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER.)

ANOTHER FAVORITE "ICE CREAM" PHOTO

ME WITH MY GRANDDAUGHTER

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JEDDAH OLD TOWN DOOR & GIANT INCENSE

Shots taken in Al Balad, the oldest sector of the city of Jeddah.

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Jeddah - More Giant Incense Burners

Here are some more examples of giant incense burners in a mall here in Jeddah. As you can imagine, the malls smell really good here!

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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.  

 

Jeddah Incense in Malls

Walking around the beautiful malls in Saudi Arabia can be very pleasing to the senses, as it is very common practice for businesses to burn incense to attract customers.  Incense is a big part of Arab culture. There are many shops that sell "oud," a very well known type of scented wood for burning.  Small elaborate burners are found in many shops, and there are even electric burners available too.  

 

Selling Good Smells in Jeddah

 A crowded little shop in Jeddah that sells things that smell good - incense, perfumes, oud.  

Very Arabian Housewares

Incense burners and elegant elongated teapots are common items found in houseware stores here in Saudi Arabia.  

Jeddah Oud Business

There are many shops in Jeddah that just sell oud and perfumes, like this one.  It's common for the business to advertise by burning samples of their incense in an oversized incense burner outside to attract customers.

Oud is a very popular form of incense sold here in Saudi Arabia.  It is also called agarwood and has a sweet woody scent.  Some kinds of oud are so rare and so in demand that its oil can sell for 1.5 times more than gold. 

Saudi Female Store Employee

This female employee of a large supermarket in Jeddah greeted us at the entrance as she dispersed sweet smelling incense in the area.

This post is linked to My Corner of the World. Do check out the other posts from bloggers from all over the world.

Cute Incense Burners

I love the wide variety of incense burners I have seen in different shops around the city of Jeddah.

Huge Incense Burner

It's not unusual to see enormous incense burners everywhere you go around the city of Jeddah.  Many of them are situated in business areas, outside of shops, and are actually used to burn incense.  Quite often though the over sized incense burners are just for decoration.  This kitty cat has found another purpose for this large incense burner - as a comfortable place to take a cat nap.  I think the cat uses it often for this purpose, as someone has placed a piece of cardboard to line the inside to make it more homey for the tired feline.

Saudi Arabia's Pursuit of Oud

Oud shops are abundant here in Jeddah.  Oud is a popular type of perfume sold here in Saudi Arabia that is derived from agarwood (also known as eaglewood, gharuwood, or aloeswood), which comes from the aquilaria tree.  There are 17 species of the aquilaria tree, which is native to southeast Asia.  The wood of tree is normally light colored, but when the tree becomes infected with mold in its heartwood, that wood turns dark with an aromatic resin that is both precious and rare. This aromatic heartwood is then turned into perfumes and incense and is highly valued in the Middle East. One reason for this could be that agarwood is highly regarded in Islam.   

Many factors can affect the scent of agarwood - the species of the aquilaria tree, the geographic location where it is grown, the source from which its branch, trunk and root are derived, the length of time the heartwood was infected before harvest, as well as the methods used in harvesting and processing.  The aquilaria tree is listed on the endangered species list of wild flora and fauna.  Due to its rarity, it is one of the most expensive commodities in the world.  Some types of oud are more expensive than even gold.