
History of incense dates back to ancient times when man, irritated by smells, discovered its magical and medicinal properties.
Throughout history, incense has been valued like gold, and its source was kept as a great secret. For centuries the Arabs had a monopoly on the incense trade. There was an incense road, like the silk road, and cities like Petra grew rich because of it. When Jesus was born, three wise men came to worship him and brought gifts: gold, incense and myrrh. The incense route was very important for trade and comprised a network that connected the Mediterranean world with the southern and eastern sources of incense, which stretched from the Mediterranean ports through the Levant and Egypt. through North Africa and Arabia all the way to India. The incense trade from South Arabia to the Mediterranean flourished between about the 7th century BC. n. e. until the 2nd century.
In the ancient period, South Arabia and the Horn of Africa seem to have been the main suppliers of incense, while in modern times the center of trade is located in Yemen and Oman. The importance of incense is also reflected in the frescoes that date back to around 1500 BC and testify to the journey of the flute sent by the Queen of Egypt to the land of Punt. They show five ships with tall piles of treasure, and one of them shows 31 small incense trees being transported on board.
The ancient Egyptians were fascinated by it. It was used in religious ceremonies and the process of embalming the dead. No, they also used it in medicine to speed up the healing of injuries, in cosmetics, and incense beads had the role of strengthening the spirit and reason.