Somalia: Somali man collecting frankincense in the former British Somaliland, c. 1950

Frankincense has been traded on the Arabian Peninsula and in North Africa for more than 5000 years.

A mural depicting sacks of frankincense traded from the Land of Punt adorns the walls of the temple of ancient Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut, who died in 1458 BCE. The Incense trade route or the Incense Road of Antiquity comprised a network of major ancient trading routes linking the Mediterranean world with Eastern sources of incense (and spices), stretching from Mediterranean ports across the Levant and Egypt through Arabia to India.

The incense trade flourished from South Arabia to the Mediterranean between roughly the 3rd century BCE to the 2nd century CE. The Incense Route served as a channel for trading of goods such as Arabian frankincense and myrrh; Indian spices, ebony, silk and fine textiles; and East African rare woods, feathers, animal skins and gold.

Copyright:

Supplier: CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

H. Wilson (PD)

Credit:

Pictures From History

Theme:

INCENSE ROAD