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Attar, also known as ittar, is an
essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...
derived from botanical or other natural sources. Most commonly these oils are extracted via hydrodistillation or steam distillation. The Persian physician Ibn Sina was first to derive the attar of flowers from distillation. Attar can also be expressed by chemical means but generally natural perfumes which qualify as attars are distilled with water. The oils are generally distilled into a wood base such as sandalwood and then aged. The aging period can last from one to ten years depending on the botanicals used and the results desired. Technically attars are distillates of flowers, herbs, spices and other natural materials such as baked soil over sandalwood oil/liquid paraffins using hydrodistillation technique involving a still () and receiving vessel (). These techniques are still in use today at
Kannauj Kannauj ( Hindustani pronunciation: ənːɔːd͡ʒ is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is a corrupted form of the class ...
in India.


History

The word 'attar', 'ittar' or 'itra' is believed to have been derived from the
Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
word , which is in turn derived from the
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
word (), meaning 'perfume'. The earliest recorded mention of the techniques and methods used to produce essential oils is believed to be that of
Ibn al-Baitar Diyāʾ al-Dīn Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad al-Mālaqī, commonly known as Ibn al-Bayṭār () (1197–1248 AD) was an Andalusian Arab physician, botanist, pharmacist and scientist. His main contribution was to systematically record ...
(1188–1248), an
Al-Andalus Al-Andalus DIN 31635, translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label=Berber languages, Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, ...
ian (Muslim Iberia)
physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
,
pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...
and
chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...
. The
Egyptians Egyptians ( arz, المَصرِيُون, translit=al-Maṣriyyūn, ; arz, المَصرِيِين, translit=al-Maṣriyyīn, ; cop, ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ, remenkhēmi) are an ethnic group native to the Nile, Nile Valley in Egypt. Egyptian ...
were famous for producing
perfumes Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. T ...
throughout the ancient world. They were formulated from plants and flowers before they could be added to other oils. It was later refined and developed by al-Shaykh al-Rais, a renowned physician who made a distinctive type of aromatic product. He was referred to as Abu Ali Sina. He was among the first people to come with the technique of distillation of roses and other plant fragrances. Liquid perfumes used to be a mixture of oil and crushed herbs until his discovery where he first experimented with roses. In
Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
, a special variety of attar was introduced by
Arwa al-Sulayhi ) , name = Arwā bint Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Mūsā Aṣ-Ṣulayḥī , other_names = ''As-Sayyidah Al-Ḥurrah'' () ''Al-Malikah Al-Ḥurrah'' ( ar, ٱلْمَلِكَة ٱلْحُرَّة or ...
, the Yemeni Queen. This type of attar was prepared from mountainous
flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
and given as a gift to the monarchs of Arabia. Abul Fazal Faizee gives another verdict of how Attar was used to making the Mabkhara-incense-burner. The
barks Barks may refer to: * Carl Barks (1901 – 2000) was an American cartoonist, author, and painter * Coleman Barks (b. 1937), an American poet, and former literature faculty at the University of Georgia * Samantha Barks (b. 1990), a Manx actress an ...
that were used in Akbar's time, according to Faizee, were
aloe ''Aloe'' (; also written ''Aloë'') is a genus containing over 650 species of flowering succulent plants.WFO (2022): Aloe L. Published on the Internet;http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-4000001341. Accessed on: 06 Nov 2022 The most wid ...
,
sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...
, and
cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...
. Animal substances, such as
myrrh Myrrh (; from Semitic, but see '' § Etymology'') is a gum-resin extracted from a number of small, thorny tree species of the genus ''Commiphora''. Myrrh resin has been used throughout history as a perfume, incense and medicine. Myrrh mi ...
, musk, and anbar, were used along with roots of special trees and a few other spices. The ruler of Awadh,
Ghazi-ud-Din Haidar Shah Ghazi-ud-Din Haidar Shah (c. 1769 – 19 October 1827) was the last nawab wazir of Oudh from 11 July 1814 to 19 October 1818, and first King of Oudh (Oudh State) from 19 October 1818 to 19 October 1827. Life He was the third son of Nawab Saada ...
used to prepare fountains of attar around his bedroom. These fountains would create a very pleasant fragrant and romantic atmosphere by functioning continuously.


Uses and types

Attars are generally classified based on their perceived effect on the body. 'Warm' attars, such as musk, amber and kesar (saffron), are used in winter, as they are believed to increase body temperature. Likewise, 'cool' attars, such as rose, jasmine, khus,
kewda Kewra, keora or kewda ( hi, केवड़ा, bn, কেওড়া, , ur, کیوڑہ, pa, ਕੇਵੜਾ) is an essential oil distilled from the male flower of the fragrant screwpine. The plant is native to Tropical Asia, Southeast Asia ...
and mogra, are used in summers for their perceived cooling effect on the body. Although attars are mostly used as a perfume, they are also used for medicinal and aphrodisiacal purposes.


Musk

Musk is a class of aromatic compound produced by a male
Siberian musk deer The Siberian musk deer (''Moschus moschiferus'') is a musk deer found in the mountain forests of Northeast Asia. It is most common in the taiga of southern Siberia, but is also found in parts of Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, Manchuria and the Korean ...
, a rare species deer found in the
Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
. The substance used in creating musk can be produced only by a mature male musk deer, and the process of acquiring it involves killing the deer. As such, its demand has led to the endangerment of most musk deer species, which in turn has aided the rise of synthetic musk, known as 'white musk'. Natural musk is commonly mixed with medicines and confectionary. Purported medicinal benefits range from working as an antivenom and strengthening organs.


Ambergris

Ambergris, also known as Anbar, is a waxy substance excreted from
sperm whale The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the sperm whale famil ...
s and retrieved from beaches and the sea. It is thought to have been used by humans for at least 1,000 years, and has a musky aroma. Ambrein, an alcohol used as a scent preservative, is extracted from ambergris.


Attar of roses


Spirituality and religion

For hundreds of years, attars were considered in some societies, mainly in Islamic cultural folk to be something that attracted angels and warded off evil spirits. Sufi saints and spiritual aspirants would adorn themselves with these scents to assist them in their journey towards enlightenment. The different sects of Hinduism worship deities through household and temple offerings and Sufis in Islamic shrines and sacred khanqah's. Attars are commonly used within the incense and food used as offerings.


See also

* Bṛhat Saṃhitā *
Charaka Samhita The ''Charaka Samhita'' (, “Compendium of ''Charaka''”) is a Sanskrit text on Ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine). Along with the ''Sushruta Samhita'', it is one of the two foundational texts of this field that have survived from ancien ...
*
Essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...
*
Kannauj Perfume Kannauj Perfume, also known as Kannauj Ittar, is a traditional Indian perfume manufacture. The perfume production is popular in Kannauj, in the Uttar Pradesh state, India. It has been protected under the Geographical indication (GI) of the Agre ...
*
List of essential oils Essential oils are volatile and liquid aroma compounds from natural sources, usually plants. They are not oils in a strict sense, but often share with oils a poor solubility in water. Essential oils often have an odor and are therefore used ...
* Varahamihira


References


Further reading

{{further reading, date=October 2023 *Chemical Industries in India by ''H. E. Watson'' Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Volume 18, Issue 7, Year 1926, Pages 748 - 752. *Buchanan's account of the manufacture of rose-water and other perfumes at Patna in A.D. 1811 and its bearing on the history of Indian perfumery industry, by ''P. K. Gode'', New Indian Antiquary 7, 181–185; also in: SICH I (1961), 36–42, Year 1946. *Studies in the history of Indian cosmetics and perfumery: Notes on the history of the rose, rose-water and attar of roses—Between B.C. 500 and A.D. 1850 by ''P. K. Gode'', New Indian Antiquary 8, 107–119; also in: SICH I (1961), 15–35 Year 1946. *Studies in Indian Cultural History, by ''P.K.Gode'', Vol. I, Year 1961, Hoshiarpur. *A useful pathological condition of wood by ''M. Jalaluddin'' Economic Botany, Volume 31, Issue 2, April 1977, Pages 222–224. *Perfumery in ancient India by ''Krishnamurthy R'' Indian J Hist Sci., Volume 22, Issue 1, Jan 1987, Pages 71–79. *Attars of India – A Unique Aroma by ''J. N. Kapoor'' Perfumer & Flavorist Jan/Feb 1991, Pages 21–24. *Indian attars by ''Christopher Mcmohan'' International Journal of Aromatherapy, Volume 7, Issue 4, Year 1996, Pages 10–13. *India Where Attars Originated by ''Omprakash Yemul'' India Perspectives, March 2004 Page 40. *Traditional system for the production of kewda essential oil and attar by ''D K Mohapatra & S Sahoo'' Indian Journal of traditional Knowledge, Vol 6(3), July 2007 Pages 399–402. *Traditional method of Chuli oil extraction in Ladakh by ''Deepa H Dwivedi & Sanjai K Dwivedi'' Indian Journal of traditional Knowledge, Vol 6(3), July 2007, Pages 403–405. *Ecology and traditional technology of screw pine perfume industry in coastal Orissa by ''Deenabandhu Sahu & Malaya Kumar Misra'' Indian Journal of traditional Knowledge, Vol 6(3), July 2007. *Kewda Perfume Industry in India 1 by ''P. K. Dutta, H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam'' Economic Botany, Vol 41(3), July 1987, Pages 403–410. *Rose cultivation for Attar production in Bulgaria anufacturing of Scentby ''Rai B.'' Indian Horticulture (India) Vol 29(4), Mar 1985, Pages 13–18. *Material that is old and new (No.28). Present and past of perfumeby ''OE HIDEFUSA'' Expected Materials for the Future Volume 3, No 5, Year 2003, Pages 66–71. *Parisrut the earliest distilled liquor of Vedic times or of about 1500 B.C. by ''Mahdihassan S.'' Indian J Hist Sci. volume 16 Issue 2, Nov 1981, Pages 223–229. *A brief history of Indian alchemy covering pre-Vedic to Vedic and Ayurvedic period (circa 400 B.C.-800 A.D.). by ''Ali M.'' Bull Indian Inst Hist Med Hyderabad Volume 23, Issue 2, Jul 1993, Pages 151 - 166. *Indian Alchemy: its Origin and Ramifications. In Chemistry and Chemical Techniques in India (Ed.) Subbarayappa, B.V., Delhi: Centre for Studies in Civilizations Year 1999. *History of Chemistry and Alchemy in India from Pre-historic to Pre- Modern Times. In History of Indian Science and Technology an Culture AD 1000–1800 (Ed) A. Rahman. Year 1998. Oxford. *Preparation and Testing of Perfume as described in Brhatsamhita Sachin A Mandavgane, P P Holey and J Y Deopujari ''Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge'' Vol 8(2), April 2009 Page 275–277. *Dragoco Report. Dr Paolo Rovesti. Year 1975. Perfumes Indian culture Desi culture