Walking through Oman’s ancient frankincense trade route

A small, wooden plank sways softly in the afternoon breeze in the sleepy town of Mirbat in Oman’s Dhofar region. It reads “Old Mirbat Market” and hangs loosely from a broken wooden frame. Walk into the narrow alley, flanked by abandoned Mirbat stone and wattle structures, and you are transported back in time—about 200 years ago, when Mirbat was a buzzing, international port. In the late 18th and 19th century, these stone and wattle structures were at the epicentre of one of the busiest trade routes of the time, spanning India, China, Oman, Yemen and beyond.

“These structures are reminiscent of the wealth that poured in the city because of the best quality frankincense grown here,” says Adnan Al Mashani, a guide with Mirbat’s luxury hotel Alila Hinu Bay, which organises walking tours of the city for its guests. Mashani guides us into another lane, where Omani traders dealing in frankincense and Arabian horses once lived. The multi-storey structures have intricate latticed windows and large wooden doors, indicative of the wealth and power these traders held. In characteristic Omani architectural style, these houses had large balconies with symmetrical floor plans. The upper floors were used as living quarters and the ground floors for storage. Despite their ruinous state, these structures possess an irresistible charm that attracts many travellers and history buffs.

All across Dhofar, there are these abandoned port towns and cities that traded frankincense in ancient, medieval and modern times. In 2000, Dhofar, the frankincense trees of Wadi Dawkah Reserve and the remains of caravan and trading settlements of Ubar, Khawr Ruri and Al Baleed were listed as “the land of frankincense”, a Unesco World Heritage site. A 2020 research paper titled The Port of Al Baleed (Southern Oman), the Trade in Frankincense and its Coveted Treasures, by archaeologist Alexia Pavan, explains, “Frankincense from Dhofar is recognised as the best in the world, for being extracted from the sap of Boswellia sacra. But it was only in the 1st century CE that frankincense, ‘food for gods and perfume of emperors’, began to be exported in massive quantities.”

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Frankincense is a fragrant resin obtained from Boswellia sacra tree and mainly used in incense and perfumes. In the Bible, it is mentioned as one of the gifts brought by the three wise men or the Magi to baby Jesus. Legend has it that at one point, this resin was more expensive than gold and only reserved for royalty for their perfumes. Over time, it was also used in medicines and beauty products. This trade attracted famous travellers such as Marco Polo, Ibn Batuta and India’s Kachchhi traders, to Dhofar. 

It made the region a hot spot of cultural exchange, says Mumbai-based historian Chhaya Goswami. Her books, Globalization Before Its Time: The Gujarati Traders in the Indian Ocean ((2016) and The Call of the Sea (2011), explore the role of Bhatia and Khoja communities of Kutch in Gujarat, in the flourishing trade between India and Oman. Along with silk, rice, Arabian horses and other commodities, frankincense too was traded between the two countries. “It can also be indicated that the Indian practice of fumigation with frankincense before puja to ward off the evil is borrowed from Oman,” she adds. Frankincense was also a sought-after commodity in India, says Goswami.

Around the 13th century, Mirbat also bred and traded Arabian horses, known for their beauty, endurance and temperament, to India, especially to the Delhi Sultanate. An extract from Pavan’s research reads, “Marco Polo recalls in his Travels: ‘The merchants of Dofar, Soer and Aden collect great number of destriers (a medieval soldier’s war horse) and other horses… they bring horses by sea aboard ships’. The Venetian then added: ‘There is a great traffic of shipping between this and India, and merchants take hence great number of Arab horses to that market, making great profit thereby’.” Connected with the horse trade was the trade in dried sardines, which were animal fodder. 

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Pavan writes that Ibn Battuta feigned surprise at this habit, noting that dried sardines were perfect fodder for horses during the long sea crossings enabling them to reach India and even China. Like many other ports on the trade route, Mirbat lost its importance around early to mid-1900s after the business shifted to other cities such as Salalah with better trade facilities, and the many wars that broke out in the city during the Oman Civil War of 1970. “Some of the family members still visit to pay homage to their old homes and their ancestors’ legacy,” says Mashani. 

Even today, one can find frankincense in all aspects of Dhofari life. “In the Omani culture, frankincense is an emblem for warmth, respect and hospitality,” says Amal Amjad, marketing communications manager at Alila Hinu Bay. On the hotel’s menu, you will find dishes from the ancient frankincense trade route, from Oman to Yemen and Egypt and Italy. There’s bougatsa (Greek custard pie) filled with frankincense cream, frankincense éclair and my favourite, frankincense and date ice cream. In the markets of Dhofar, one can buy edible frankincense, frankincense oil, creams, incense sticks and more. I bought frankincense attar (an oil-based perfume), which reminds me of Mirbat, every time I wear it. 

Riddhi Doshi is Mumbai-based art, culture, travel and lifestyle writer.