Abu Madyan

Abu Madyan’s immeasurable impact on North African spiritually was far-reaching and profound. “Sufi of Sufis”, “Sheikh of Sheikhs”, “al-Ghawth”, the master gnostic perfumed and continues to perfume the hearts of millions.

“A people with noble characteristics – wherever they sit, the place continues to be fragrant with their traces.”

Here’s a fragrance that traces Abu Madyan’s journey from Seville into Tlemcen, Algeria. Spanish camomile and cypriol sprinkled over thyme and cumin. Cinnamon and cilantro crushed into a base of amber and earthy patchouli sweetened by buttery liatrix, a.k.a. the striking flower blazing stars.

To transition from the dry-spicy scents of Seville to rock-dry Algerian coastal heat you’ll pick up warm chamomile-cumin top notes turn sweeter-but-never-sweet as the bite of cinnamon and clove are all but muted by the richness of saffron.

Although India is a far off from where Abu Madyan walked, nothing beats Indian oud and sandalwood when it comes to transmuting all those notes into a new fusio – not simply a marriage or a line-up of notes to be ticked off, but a smell akin to climate; a wholeness – one smell. Yet many.

While pepper and spice make the first impression, that oud-infused creamy pollen-powdery chamomile haze imparts a calming aromatherapeutic effect after a while. Not quite mellow – clove and cinnamon are both lively notes that pierce through almost unnoticed except to make you wonder about this unique spicy chord you’re smelling.

TOP
Wild Chamomile
Tasmanian Pepper
Sichuan Pepper
Thyme
Cilantro

HEART
Cinnamon
Clove
Saffron

BASE
Kokojan Agarwood
Indian Sandalwood
Organic Vetiver
Styrax
Liatrix

Have you smelled an empty Saharan plane at night? Smelled thyme covering the ground after rain? The arid beauty of cedar and rockrose dyed in styrax?

Thyme and cannabis share a scent profile, so imagine the taste of a drop of CBD added to cup of saffron tea. The warm saffron smell, with a dry-sweet mix of thyme and styrax add a layer to the spice and camomile and oud that all work behind the scenes to make those notes last well into the drydown.

Some perfumes have two personalities: the scent when sprayed and the scent smelled up close on skin. (Rumi is an example of a perfume that offers those distinct experiences.)

Abu Madyan performs steadily no matter how you wear and smell it – on skin, on clothes, in the mist as you walk through it, the fragrance remains quite uniform. Those sultry saffron spicy oud and pepper core notes doused in desert thyme is meditative; an olfactory map intended to capture Aby Madyan’s journey south to his final resting place.