The Amazing History of the Incense Route
Posted by admin on Nov 21, 2009
If you enjoy the history of all things aromatic, the incense route through the Middle East is sure to tempt you with it’s stories of legendary caravans transporting incense, myrrh, gold and nearly everything of any value from Yemen to the Gaza port in Israel.
History of the Incense Route
The incense route, as it was nearly 2000 years ago, was a series of different routes extending from Egypt, Northeast Africa, India, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The predominant traffic coursed through these areas and provided a connection between the spice and silk trade of India, African gold and woods, along with myrrh and frankincense of the Middle East. Most of which eventually sailed from the port at Gaza toward the markets of the Roman Empire
During its busiest period, from roughly the 3rd century BCE until the 2nd century CE, the route flourished and was the hub of nearly all trade related to incense and spice over a more than 2400 km span of the Middle East, the northern coast of Africa and India.
Four cities, Avdat, Haluza, Mamshit and Shivta, located in the Negev Desert, all played important roles in the development of the Mediterranean terminus of the incense route. Because of the wealth derived from the trade and sale of goods along this trade route, these four cities flourished and were much more technologically advanced than most during that time period.
These areas featured the most advanced irrigation systems, fortresses and luxurious roadside inns for weary travellers. Many of these structures are still in place today and are worthwhile to look at as well as study for their historical value.
As you can well imagine life along the trade route, especially if you were part of a caravan carrying priceless valuables, was extremely dangerous on a day-to-day basis. There was the constant chance of ambush and robbery, not to mention the harsh environment of the desert. Anyone travelling with a caravan taking this route had to be alert at all times and have the ability to survive long days in desert heat and even longer freezing nights. However, the monetary gain was well worth these dangers and the demands it put upon those who travelled with these caravans. To be sure, it was literally, a hard road to travel.
The Incense Route Today
Today, many of the landmarks along the incense road have vanished. There are, however, a few examples of the opulence that once gained its wealth from the goods that were traded along it. These ruins feature fortresses, churches, merchant storefronts, bathhouses and guard towers, as well as man other interesting sites. Many of these areas are accessible by jeep or bus and can still be toured.
Today, we can find the incense and most of the exotic items that we’ve come to love at the local retail store or international specialty store. It’s hard to imagine those items travelling through dangerous kingdoms or caravans being plagued by ominous thieves in antiquity. But even then, our distant ancestors knew what we know today: There are some things in life that are worth the risk.
By: Mark Miles
fragrance body oils | Cosmetic promotions
Regardless, the material used to make vegetable oil blend provides physical, emotional, mental and healing properties, not to mention a smell amazing. Therefore, as oil get inside the body, good things happen. …. If you think that incense is just a throw-back to the sixties, look again. Today’s incense goes further and reaches deeper. Incense – the ancient scents made from spices, fruits, herbs, and resins – brings together peoples and cultures from around the world. …
they first appear in the first century bce as possible creators of the fabled spice and incense route. the apparently were able to maintain way stations in the brutally dry desert by means of water storage and basic farming at these way …
Sea Incense – Route 204, use Surf on the lake’s southeast edge. Wave Incense – Route 210, use Waterfall on second Waterfall down the stream. Status Boosts Adamant Orb – Diamond only, after the battle with Dialga, run back up and past where he was, and take it. Black Belt – Route 221, …… Amazing, I know [And it REALLY does work, I'm living proof and so it my Lv 100 Bidoof, which is why I recomend an improbable [Actually impossible except with hacking] Lv 9> Azelf] …
Indonesia – Dragons, Waves, & Ganjek
Along the way, we were given a “history 101″ of Bali and Java by our cab driver Wayan. Bali, unlike the rest of Indonesia, is 90% Hindu. The remaining 10% being a mix of Muslim and Christian. In fact, before Islam took hold of most of Java, Sumatra, Lombok, and most other Indonesian … We also noticed that Balinese Hindus made daily offerings on the pavement in front of every shop, house, or hotel that usually combined incense and flowers on a wrapped banana leaf. …
The Incense Route – which carried precious cargoes of frankincense, myrrh, spices, ebony, silks and other fine textiles from the Near and Far East, through Arabia, Egypt and beyond to lands in the west, ran through Petra. …. I love reading about the history of that part of the world it is always so rich and I particulary like the way you’ve written it as opposed to one of the history books where one has to go back and forth with dates and names 
Mail this post
