Written by Angelina Kuhn
Edited by CHIQIO
Keywords: Marrakech, fragrance, culture, cuisine, essential oils
Meta description: Discover the enchanting scents of Marrakech, a city rich in culture and history. From aromatic spices to natural essential oils, explore how the unique fragrances of Marrakech can create lasting memories and inspire a signature perfume.
Every city has their own unique scent, it’s what really differentiates your adventures to different locations as memories can be triggered by different scents. Your experience of a place is not only determined by the things you see but all sensory experiences including the aromas around you.
Today I will be sharing my personal experience with Marrakech as the city that has stayed with me until this very moment, as a result of its culture, customs and history. Which I believe can be described through the language of fragrances beyond visuals so I can pass my experience onto you.
The character of Marrakech
Marrakech is known for its rich history and culture, its old buildings still standing strong and holding onto the liveliness it once had with its ancient aroma as evidence. The town centre overflowed with people, sounds, and fragrances of spices and fresh fruit coming from its restaurants. Marrakech is known for its natural essential oils and perfumeries, so passing by them and seeing the buckets of colourful dried flowers outside of the shops always felt euphoric because you were hit with a diverse range of aromas, enticing you to pick the one that matches your tastes.
In contrast, the minute you step out of the town centre, silence consumes you, and you reach a state of serenity as your eyes feast on the natural landscapes. Marrakech’s beautiful botanic gardens, rivers and waterfalls are enough to take your breath away, but to make you take a breath in just as fast to smell mother nature’s freshness. The colours of the southern sky as the sun was setting created an enchanting synesthetic effect, the mysterious darkness of the sky well suited with musky notes and the pops of rosy colour were that of the intense floral scent.
The aroma of the clean and mineral filled water in the rivers and falls, the earthy and musky scent of the desert that was emitted throughout the day from the heat, and the leftover scent of spices sucked up by your clothing, all blend into a balance that is worthy of making a perfume out of it.
It’s no wonder that Marakkech is in the top 50 of places to visit globally, when visitors are enticed with the positive memories triggered by the aromas.
Fragrances Inspired by The Culinary
The main feature that remained most memorable to me were the aromas lingering from the kitchens in Marrakech restaurants. Having the chance to finally explore Marrakech’s gastronomical world opened up a new door of sensory delight. Apart from the scent of fresh fruit stacked on each table in a bowl, the various musky and woody spices used in Morocco’s traditional dishes smelt aromatic enough to want to wear but also delicious enough to want to eat. Don’t get me started on the desserts that had a nutty and sweet scent from Moroccan dates as the main ingredient. These dishes are sure to have been responsible for a significant memory held dear in my heart.
A Bottle of Marrakech
To encapsulate the essence of this unique city, the aromas from my experience when visiting the place could be characterised through a perfume to represent its ambience.
Here are a few ideas about the type of notes the perfume I believe would best suit the essence of Marrakech :
The base note should without a doubt be the fresh scent of Moroccan Argan Oil, iconic and extremely significant to the culture of the location. The perfume would include the Argan oil extract but also the oil itself to ensure the perfume not only has the refreshing and nutty scent, but also the reaping amazing benefits including moisturisation, healing, and inflammation.
The middle note could be a musky or earthy scent to represent the heat and the vintage fabrics sold in the city, as well as the old buildings in the town centre. This could be mimicked by scents like saffron or cumin known for their woody notes.
Lastly, the top notes should be a mix of spicy and sweet to bring out memories or ideas about the type of aromas coming from Marrakech’s cuisine. Cinnamon and rose water would flawlessly trigger the memories of not only the cuisine but also the botanical gardens.
A Reminder of a Positive Past
Marrakech’s distinguished aromas have left an imprint on me, which truly emphasises how significant certain scents are when capturing the ambience of a city. Now, think to yourselves about what type of perfume would best suit the favourite place you have ever visited and discover your memory palace by searching for the notes that stood out to you.
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