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As my adventures in southern Oman continued, I headed out to explore the old souq of Salalah, which is famous for its frankincense. Let’s check it out!
Frankincense is basically hardened sap from local trees. It’s then used in incense and perfumes, and is also used as medicine. It’s good for your stomach, and the Ancient Egyptians used it for mummification. It was believed that Frankincense smoke will keep evil spirits away.
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My friend and guide Khalid from Salalah Fast Tour and I began our day checking out some bags of frankincense nuggets sold by a local vendor. They put some in a clay pot and lit it. It smelled so good, even better than incense! It’s a great thing to make your house smell good!
The vendor also sold soap and oil made from frankincense. Frankincense comes in different qualities, so the higher quality versions are more expensive. When you buy it, you should also buy coal and a frankincense burner. They have wood ones and others made from clay.
They have some wet versions mixed with various aromatic ingredients like saffron, amber, and lavender. The vendor also sells cute little stuffed animals like camels, magnets, and snow globes. I sampled some amazing frankincense oil that you can use as cologne. I loved the rose one!
I bought a half kilo of the highest quality frankincense, two stuffed camels, and a clay frankincense burner. He gave me a discount, so I paid 11 OMR/roughly $28.60 USD.
In another shop, they sold more frankincense varieties, including wet and dry varieties. Every shop along this strip sold varieties. In another, Khalid showed me a woven straw basket with a leather bottom. It was hand-woven!
Some of the frankincense is edible. I chewed one. It was very gummy and tasted like perfume. They say it’s good for your stomach, but it’s like a hard gum. It wasn’t my favorite at first, but it got better after a while!
Another vendor sold traditional daggers, hats, and turbans. I picked out a turban and then started looking at hats. I loved a blue and white one and Khalid found a matching turban and bought them for 6 OMR/roughly $15.60 USD. Then, he gifted me a free bottle of frankincense oil. He was so nice!
In all, there were roughly 10 shops open at the souq. Some also sold clothing for women and children. Come during the busy season in July-August if you want to visit the shops when they’re all open.
Khalid and I drove through the city center. I saw lots of commercial spaces, including some selling Yemeni honey. Outside the city, in the desert, we stopped at a boswellia sacra tree, which is the tree that produces the sap that becomes frankincense.
I could see the fresh sap coming from cuts in the tree bark. I could smell it as Khalid made cuts into the bark. It takes a few weeks for it to harden completely.
Next, we continued 30 minutes west from Salalah, toward Yemen. The landscape became more hilly, and there were mountains ahead of us. We arrived at Mughsail Beach, roughly 45 kilometers from Salalah. It’s a beautiful sandy beach bounded on both ends by mountains.
The beach is famous for its blowholes. It was completely empty except for a few fishermen. The blowholes are 2 minutes away near Mughsail Cafe. It’s a great place to relax. You can hear the waves echoing through the caves!
It reminded me of a beach I visited in Costa Rica, but that one was full of people. At the blowholes, the water crashes below and flies up the blowhole. Finally, we finished with some coffee at Mughsail Cafe.
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About Me:
My name is David Hoffmann. Since starting David’s Been Here in 2008, I have traveled to over 1,300 destinations in 88 countries to experience out and document unique cultures on my KZfaq channels, travel blog, and social media sites.
I focus mostly on cuisine, culture, and historical sites, but my passion is food! I love to experience and showcase the different flavors each destination has to offer, from casual street food to gourmet restaurant dining.
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