A frankincense tree from the Sultanate of Oman

Postcard

The incense tree has been the reason for the Omani merchants' fortune for over 2,000 years. The trees, which can reach up to 13 ft, grow naturally in the far ends of the wadis of Dhofar, in the south of the country. The collecting of the sap, also called olibanum, takes place in the spring when the sap hardens into small ‘tears' of variable color between yellow and white.

The incense was very valuable in Ancient History and during the Middle Ages because the places of production were kept secret and the journey to the West by caravan, across Yemen and Saudi Arabia, or by boat along the Red sea, would take several months in all.

Stamp

41th National Day, Royal Opera House, Muscat