Bakhoor

Bakhoor is how a Gulf home gets its smell. Fragrant wood and resin are warmed over charcoal rather than set alight like an incense stick, and the burner is carried from room to room so the smoke settles into curtains, sofas and clothes.

Mamool is the hand-rolled kind — wood powder kneaded with perfume oils and resins, shaped into uneven nuggets and cured. One piece smokes for five to ten minutes and the scent stays in the room for hours after the coal has gone out. It is what most households light on a Friday morning, before guests arrive, and right through Ramadan and Eid.

Al Towba mamool, made in the U.A.E., in 85g jars. You will need something to burn it in — see the incense burners.