TEHRAN – Research commissioned by the Iranian Institute of Anthropology and Culture is investigating history, resources, know-how, and early evidence of perfume-making around the Zagros mountain range in the heart of the Iranian Plateau.

One of the researchers, Masoumeh Rakhsha, says perfume-making and the extraction of aromatic essences have a long history in the country, CHTN reported.

The backbone of the survey is a field investigation to identify, classify, and document aromatic plants and sweet-smelling oils among various Iranian ethnic groups, and tribes-people settling in the Zagros cultural area, she noted.

“Humans have long been tried to extract the pleasant smell of materials and plants in nature in various ways such as burning, steaming, distillation, oil extraction, etc., and use them in their daily lives,” she explained.

Talking about the significance of the Zagros area, she said it has long been an important biological resource in terms of plant species and on the other hand it was the cradle of great civilizations such as Mesopotamia and Elam.

“Therefore, it seemed necessary to shed new light on aromatic plants in this area and discuss the method of extraction and how to use them among the ethnic groups living in Zagros.”

Rakhsha said the purpose of this research is to identify, classify, and introduce essential oils among the Zagros tribes and to portray the cultural similarities and differences between the tribes living in Zagros. “After that, we seek to introduce the results to (modern) food and pharmaceutical, health and cosmetic industries.”

Regarding the methodology of the research, she noted that they follow an ethnographic method which is investigated through interviews, review of texts, and available sources.

The participants in this research constitute ethnic people living in Andimshek, Mazo, Shahzadeh-Ahmed, and Mongerehm, the researcher said.

According to the Iran Chamber Society, plants and flowers, perfumes and aromas always attracted the attention of Iranians since the most remote times. In ancient sources, including the stone inscriptions of the Achaemenian era (c. 550—330 BC), as well as the Greek and Roman sources and Pahlavi texts, clear indications can be found about the Iranians' attention to and interest in, various kinds of perfumes, incenses and sweet aromas.

“In stone images of Persepolis, Darius the Great is predicted while sitting on a nice chair with two scent bottles or incense bones in front of him, and Xerxes is standing behind him while holding the same kind of flowers in the left hand. These flowers are probably Lily of the Valley or narcissus, which were peculiar to the southern Fars region, and which were mentioned in Islamic sources.”

As mentioned by the source, in another image the Iranian monarch is shown holding a flower in his left hand while a protruded umbrella is kept over his head. In another bas-relief, an Iranian lady is holding a sweet-smelling blower or apple in front of her face or nose.

Cited by William James Durant, the famed American historian and philosopher, and some other Western sources, Iranians were the first manufacturers of various kinds of perfumes, and discoverers of decorative and cosmetic powders.

Growing and cultivating many kinds of plants and fragrant flowers, obtaining perfumes and golab (rose water) from them, preparation of perfumed oil, manufacturing musk and ambergris and perfumed materials and preparation of sweet-smelling incenses were widespread in ancient Iran, particularly in the Fars region.

Cultivation and growing of many of the perfumed flowers and plants, which were prevalent in ancient times, continued for several centuries after the advent of Islam, and a few of them have persisted till today.

AFM