Scent-sational! Meet the FRANKINCENSE sommelier working at Shangri-La’s Oman hotels

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the incense fad was short-lived, forgotten after the three sages gave it away.

far from there

The incense trade flourished for centuries, until around AD 700. C. in parts of the Middle East and Africa, and today it is commonly burned in homes in Oman, a country that remains one of the main producers of the substance.

The aromatic resin is also found in hotels run by Shangri-La, which even employs an ‘incense sommelier’: Khalid Al Amri. Who is not a trick?

He studied frankincense under the direction of Canadian academic Dr. Patricia Groves, who has spent more than 20 years researching and writing books on Omani heritage, arts and culture, and with the National Museum of Oman and the Bait Al Museum. Zubair from Muscat, a program that also earned him the title of Shangri-La Ambassador of Culture and Heritage in Oman.

So what is your role?

Khalid, who works at both Omani Shangri-La resorts, Al Husn and Barr Al Jissah, said: “All my life I have been looking for my calling and I finally found it.”

‘My role is to provide our guests with moments of joy by sharing stories and my knowledge of incense with others.

Khalid is pictured above in the Incense Garden at the Shangri-La Al Husn resort

HOW SHANGRI-LA USES INCENSE IN DISHES AND COCKTAILS IN OMAN

Shangri-La Al Husn’s Sultanah Restaurant

COCKTAILS: The mixologist burns the incense over charcoal behind the bar and then captures the smoke in a hood and serves the cocktail in a hood to the guest (the smoke is in the hood).

CHICKEN DISH: Shangri-La Al Husn resort serves a dish at its ‘Sultanah’ restaurant (above) called ‘Sultanah’s Frankincense Free-Range Chicken’, which uses grilled free-range chicken, broccoli, sweet potato and date chutney. The chicken is cooked over incense smoke on a charcoal grill at the table.

‘It also brings me a lot of happiness, as I am passionate about what I do.

‘I am responsible for overseeing the traditional Omani welcome at our resorts, and I also lead guided tours of the incense and incredible architecture of our resorts in Oman.

“As part of this unique guest experience, Shangri-La Al Husn has its own private frankincense garden with 21 frankincense trees that were planted in 2019.

“The garden is a place where our guests can touch, smell and see the incense in its natural form while staying with us.

‘We also have a Luban Spa [luban is Arabic for frankincense) where guests can indulge in Arabian oriental treatments and massages infused with frankincense oil.

‘Our restaurants and bars also feature cocktails and dishes featuring frankincense, such as our Phoenix from the Flames cocktail, made with limoncello, pastis, bourbon, frankincense and orange.’

Khalid reveals that he advises the restaurants and bars on how to use frankincense in dishes and drinks – and the type/grade that’s most suitable.

The hotel plans ultimately to use the frankincense it grows in its spas, restaurants and bars, but the trees aren’t quite ready yet – ‘like a vineyard, they need time to mature’.

Khalid also advises guests about the best types of frankincense to buy in the markets in capital city, Muscat – frankincense hunting is a popular activity with locals and visitors alike.

Frankincense, explained Khalid, is an aromatic resin that originates from two main species of trees – the Boswellia sacra and the Boswellia papyrifera – with Oman ‘home to the finest frankincense globally’.

Shangri-La runs multiple luxury hotels in Oman, grouped together along the coast near Muscat (above)

Shangri-La’s Oman hotels (above) waft frankincense around the lobbies, and offer dishes and cocktails infused with the aromatic resin

Khalid continued: ‘Frankincense is an integral part of Oman’s heritage. In the ancient world, frankincense was more valuable than gold, and southern Oman just happened to be rich in frankincense.

‘Today, it’s commonly burnt at sunrise and sunset and it is a key part of the welcome experience in an Omani household.

‘When you welcome a guest into your home in Oman, you first burn frankincense to create a wonderful scent and then we offer our guests Arabic coffee and Arabic dates.

‘Growing up, my mother would burn half a kilogram of frankincense daily to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere in our house. And if I was not feeling well, my mother would boil Al Hojari frankincense in water, which is a high grade of frankincense that can be ingested for medicinal purposes.

‘Frankincense is also used as a room scent, to dissipate kitchen smells and ward off any negative energy. 

Khalid said: ‘When you visit Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah or Shangri-La Al Husn (above), we have created an authentic Omani welcome experience’

‘It is well known for its healing and restorative properties too, as well as a perfume and as an aphrodisiac. The aromatic resin is also used for ceremonial and celebratory occasions such as during prayer and at weddings, and to ensure good health for a mother and child during childbirth.’

At Shangri-La’s Oman hotels, it doesn’t take guests long to familiarise themselves with the allure of frankincense.

Khalid said: ‘When you visit Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah or Shangri-La Al Husn, we have created an authentic Omani welcome experience for our guests. As soon as you enter one of our two resorts, which are side by side on Oman’s beautiful coast, you will smell the sacred scent of frankincense, which we waft and disperse through the grand lobbies. You will also be greeted by either myself or one of my colleagues offering Arabic coffee and dates.’