The history of perfume
Introduction
There are few periods in the past that have not been influenced by perfume in some form or another, and it might come as somewhat of a surprise to discover that the history of perfume is often intertwined with the history of the human race.
From the days of ancient Egypt, when the Queen of Sheba first made her historic visit to King Solomon with her gift of persimmon shoots, perfume has played a pivotal role. The Persians considered it to be a sign of rank, while the Greeks believed it to be a scent brought down by the Gods. But all this can be traced back even further in time, all the way back to Biblical times.
Perfume and the holy land
There is frequent mention of fragrance in the bible, mainly because perfume was held in high esteem during Biblical times. In the New Testament, the three wise men carried gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the infant Jesus. Long before, Moses was commanded by the Lord to "take unto thee sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum ... with pure frankincense ... And thou shalt make it a perfume." With this in mind, it is not surprising to discover that perfume was actually first created in the holy land.
It was around 3000 years ago that the perfume industry had its genesis, when the Queen of Sheba sailed up the Red Sea to pay her historic visit, bringing with her persimmon shoots, also known as balsamon or balsam. It is said that Solomon cultivated the balsam plant by the shores of the Dead Sea for years thereafter, but all was not as it should have been for the perfume industry.
A brief respite
In the millennia that followed this ancient exchange, the stormy events in Jerusalem severely disrupted the local perfume industry, and in effect Jerusalemīs perfume-making industry all but vanished during these difficult times.
Rediscovery of an Ancient Art
After a hiatus of several thousand years, the ancient craft of perfume-making has been re-introduced into the Holy City. Using the aromatic essences of over 90 different indigenous Israeli plants, Scent of Jerusalem Ltd. has been able to produce a glorious fragrance, Essence of Jerusalem.
Essence of Jerusalem
We believe that the fragrance of this exclusive balsamon-inspired perfume captures Jerusalemīs sense of eternal harmony by providing a subtle blend of the oriental and the classic. In effect, it captures the very essence of Jerusalem!
