Tag Archives: frankincense tree

No trip to the Dhofar region would be complete without a close look at a frankincense tree and the resin it produces. Known throughout Arabia as luban, frankincense is the resinous, aromatic gum of a scrubby, gnarled tree the Boswellia sacra-that thrives in the narrow boundary between the Dhofar mountains and open desert. One of the best places to learn about this precious substance is Wadi Modaam where asha’bi frankincense is produced. In April, the resin collecting season, Wadi Modaam appears to be devoid of all vegetation. Look closer and keen eyes will spot hundreds of wizened and twisted trees dotted across the wadi and over brown, seemingly barren hillsides that will be transformed to a lush green by September and the end of the Khareef. Watch as a skilled artisan uses a manqafa small putty knife tool to cut away a section of bark for the first “tapping” to allow resin to ooze from the tree. The sap is chipped off carefully, collected in a shallow bowl and dried in a mountain side cave for up to 10 days. This deceptively simple process requires considerable expertise so that the tree is left healthy, ready for subsequent years’ tapping.  

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