“Would you like some bakhour …?”
When Tamer asks me this, my answer is always, “Yes!”
It fits perfectly especially when we tidy up the apartment and then there’s only one thing left to do: this traditional incense. We have quite a supply from Sudan, all natural mixtures of sandalwood covered with oils and sugar, and fragrant resin.
When he lit a little bit of bakhour, for the first time since my arrival in Saudi Arabia, I quickly sensed the smoke with a sweet aroma, and exclaimed: “Sudan!” It smelled like Sudan.
Of course, bakhour is a traditional Arabian incense which is famous and popular in the North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Saudis also have their own concoctions with perhaps slightly different admixtures.
So we can be worry-free when we run out of our fragrant treasures. We will simply go to the local market and gather new ones.
