Oman pays homage to frankincense at Expo 2020 Dubai
Discover how the resin and its tree spurred the Sultanate’s progress over the years
Dubai: The short, flat-canopied and gnarly Boswellia sacra tree is one of Oman’s prized treasures. Once valued at the price of gold, the aromatic resin extracted from the tree bark opened up avenues for the country – a story of progress that the Oman Pavilion, located in the Mobility District at Expo 2020 Dubai, hopes to tell its visitors.
On August 15, 2021, Mohsin Bin Khamis Al Balushi, Advisor to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion and Commissioner General of the Sultanate at Expo 2020 Dubai, inaugurated the Omani pavilion and announced its completion.
A structure that envelops and protects life
It is also this tree, native to Oman, Somalia and Yemen, that the pavilion facade is inspired by. Architects Rihab Al Zakwani and Alya Al Battashi, based at the Omani firm Adi Architecture, take inspiration from the low-hanging branches of the frankincense tree and its spiritual, cultural and commercial significance to the Sultanate.
The exterior’s wooden panels are trimmed into cascading ripples that curve inwards for an asymmetrical, flowing appearance, symbolising a safe and secure space for visitors. The trunk makes up the base for the bulky structure, within which five different zones will comprise the visitor experience – each dedicated to a sector the frankincense resin helped propel in Oman:
- Transportation
- Knowledge
- Manufacturing
- Sustainability
- Exploration
The pavilion is also bringing in Oman-developed augmented and mixed reality technology to support the interactive experiences slated for the journey.
Frankincense: The gold of Southern Arabia
Frankincense, from Old French ‘franc encens’ to mean ‘pure incense’, traversed the world’s ancient souqs and caravan routes, becoming a choice incense at religious rituals in Babylon (present-day Iraq), Egypt, Greece and Rome.
Before there was oil, the gum resin was the trade currency in the Arabian Peninsula. Oman’s Wadi Dawakah, a five-kilometre natural reserve of the aromatic trees, was named ‘Land of frankincense’ by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) for the far-reaching trading activities that flourished in the area since the Stone Age.
Not only is the resin burned for its sweet, musky scent but it is also used for remedial purposes in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, being anti-inflammatory and anti-cancerous. In ancient Egypt, its smoke was used to treat asthma and throat infections, while in Greece the sticky resin was used to hold an open wound shut.
At times, the gum is even chewed as an alternative to breath fresheners.
Shop Omani crafts
A souvenir kiosk inside the pavilion will display more than 2,000 trinkets crafted by nearly 400 small and medium enterprises. These products of rural women, families and craftspeople were carefully selected and developed in coordination with several Omani public and private institutions.
- The writer is an intern with Gulf News.