A JOURNEY FOR ADVENTUROUS NOSES: BABYLON

Travel thousands of miles East and thousands of years back, one shall find the mighty civilisation of Babylon. Take a look at the place that inspired Penhaligon’s decadent scent, Babylon.

Cast your mind back, if you will, 4.000 years ago. Along the Euphrates river in the Middle East, a small port town was founded. Its name? Babylon. And, over time, Babylon became one of the most powerful cities of the ancient world, and one of the largest cities in the Babylonian empire. But behind that is a city brimming with potent myth, which Penhaligon’s would argue, has been captured rather well in a bottle of scent. So, let us explore the history, the legend, but most importantly, the fragrance (please, hold one’s applause until the end).

BABYLON

The History

Located around 50 miles away from present-day Baghdad, Babylon started off as a rather unassuming port town – that was, until, the rule of Amorite king Hammurabi and his military prowess. Hammurabi conquered neighbouring city states and brought much of Mesopotamia under his rule, creating the Babylonian Empire. And, at its centre, was Babylon itself. At the height of its power, Hammurabi created one of the first comprehensive legal systems of its time, paving the way for a wealthy, influential city. However, after Hammurabi’s passing, the city fell into decline and entered the Neo-Babylonian Era (which was also rather short-lived: you just can’t get the rules these days).

The Legend

Of course, nothing remains of historic Babel. The tides of time have washed it away, and left in its place myriad myths passed down through the centuries: the Ishtar Gate, the Tower of Babel, and most significantly, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, were said to have been built by King Nebuchadenezzar II for his wife, who missed the native vegetation of her homeland, Media. The gardens were a marvel of engineering, considering water would have been pumped uphill from the Euphrates. The garden was an oasis in the middle of a desert city, with abundant flowers, plants, and herbs cascading down a 75-foot-structure (or so the reports go). And that, one might want to know, is how Penhaligon’s bought to life its own fragrance, Babylon.

The Fragrance

Finally, the fragrant mystery that is Babylon. Decadent layers of herbs and spices – nutmeg, saffron, and coriander – hark to not only the gardens of Babylon, but the spices cultivated and traded along the Incense Route. The heart note of cypriol adds a woody depth to the scent, akin to papyrus and patchouli, again transporting the wearer to a bygone age. Finally, the decadent warmth of vanilla, reminiscent of the radiant civilisation of Babylon, lavishes the wearer.

THE INCENSE ROUTE