Capturing the scent of Palestinian life in a bottle

A younger Palestinian couple in Jerusalem have produced a spread of perfumes to embody the heritage of their individuals. Despite the horror of the warfare in Gaza, they hope their scents can nonetheless summon reminiscences of a greater time, as Sebastian Usher reviews from Jerusalem.

Out within the fields of the Jordan valley, Palestinian girls nonetheless sing outdated people songs as they harvest the olive groves. One tells the story of how a fabled ship carrying a life-saving cargo of meals heads to port throughout a horrible famine that swept the Levant within the dying days of Ottoman rule. While within the Old City of Jerusalem, the scents of leather-based, spices and livestock fuse right into a perfume that evokes 1000’s of years of historical past.

“We’re trying to send a message to people through our perfumes, revealing our heritage and the scent of our land,” Qassem Abu Khalaf says as he explains the motivation behind the Mejana perfume line that he’s arrange along with his spouse, Malak Hijazi.

The younger couple are Palestinians from the Beit Hanina district in occupied East Jerusalem. He is a complicated supplies engineer and she or he is an English and particular wants instructor. Their perfume line grew from a ardour Qassem developed through the years for producing the highest quality perfumes. He labored at evening on his concepts, increase a library of a whole lot of elements.

In a restaurant in East Jerusalem amid the continuing warfare in Gaza, he says the 5 scents he’s up to now produced are meant to let individuals maintain a bit of Palestinian historical past of their fingers. While for Palestinians themselves, he hopes that it’s a option to reconnect with their roots in a Proustian rush of reminiscence triggered by an aroma.

He and Malak selected the title Mejana, because it’s a phrase that describes the outdated songs that Palestinians sing as they’re working.

“Mejana has a special rhythm when you sing it,” Malak says. “It means joy and happiness. We chose it, because when you smell a special fragrance, you feel good, you feel happy in the same sort of way.”

Palestinian people reminiscence additionally influenced the naming of their first two scents. Zaref Atool is a darkish, heavy perfume – very a lot what individuals anticipate from an oriental model. Qassem says it’s meant to conjure up the texture of the traditional, labyrinthine alleyways of the Old City of Jerusalem. It’s named after the primary character in a preferred outdated track – wherein the singer laments {that a} tall, good-looking younger man is leaving his Palestinian homeland to journey far-off.

The different perfume is known as Rozana, after a ship that was feverishly anticipated by individuals ravenous throughout Palestine, Lebanon and Syria after failed wheat harvests 100 years in the past. It was meant to ship salvation, however solely introduced additional bitter disappointment and loss – as its cargo contained virtually nothing to eat. Again, there’s a well-known track impressed by the story that’s been sung by most of the nice Arab singers, reminiscent of Fairouz and Sabah.

“I love our identity, our heritage, our folklore and I’m proud of it,” says Malak.

If the previous is their inspiration, then the current has sophisticated their efforts to create and launch a model that celebrates Palestinian identification.

“We launched our brand on 27 September last year,” Malak says. “We went to two bazaars in Jerusalem but then the war began and put a stop to everything for many months.”

The souks and retailers within the Old City and elsewhere in Israel and the occupied West Bank are denuded of vacationers, as shopkeepers attempt to survive on the nonetheless bustling native market.

Qassem and Malak have had some success promoting their fragrances to the Palestinian diaspora – in Australia specifically. And they’ve continued undeterred, producing a second vary of three perfumes, fantastically introduced in a field painted by a Palestinian artist with native flowers and wildlife.

The perfumes themselves are contained in wood capsules with a key embossed on one aspect, which opens up the gold dispenser when turned. A big outdated key’s an emblem of all of the Palestinian houses misplaced when a whole lot of 1000’s had been expelled or fled throughout the warfare in 1948 that established the State of Israel.

“When we chose the key, it was about our memories,” Malak say. “It’s designed a little bit differently from the traditional Palestinian key, but it is related to it. When you smell a particular scent, it brings back beautiful memories. So, it is the key to our ancestors and our childhood memories.”

The couple haven’t solely simply produced their new vary of perfumes – with combos reminiscent of tuberose and berry, and coconut and agarwood – but additionally their first youngster – a daughter, Sadeel.

Qassem and Malak say it’s a troublesome time to carry new life right into a world in such battle. Malak says she feels responsible about it however she needed to cease watching information about Gaza throughout her being pregnant because it was inflicting her a lot stress – and she or he feared it would negatively have an effect on her child.

“It’s not easy,” Qassem says. “But we hope everything will come to an end and we’ll have peace. A little peace of mind, too.”