Egypt is the “land of the sun”, a country where history is lost in the dawn of time and which has fascinated travelers of all ages. We can also attribute to the Egyptians the title of “ancient wizards”, due to the very advanced knowledge they possessed with respect to Medicine, Health, Cosmetics and an important role in the history of Aromatherapy. Perfumes, essences, balms and ointments were closely related to the cult of the gods, because, through perfume, man “rose” himself to the sky and approached the divine, purifying the body and spirit. The term perfume comes from the Latin “per fumum“, which means “through smoke”, has divine virtues, because it brings prayer and invocation to heaven, purifies and leaves an olfactory memory.

The fragrances were mixed with fatty bases, such as olive oil, horseradish, sesame or castor oil, along with strong odorous substances, such as the lily or blue lotus flowers, much appreciated by Tutankamen. Alexandria of Egypt was the major trade and distribution center for aromatic herbs and spices, which left for Rome, Capua, Naples and Lebanon. The climatic conditions allowed the growth of particular plants and aromatic herbs of which the Egyptians had developed skills and technology to extract beneficial properties and take care of the inner and outer wellness. Even today, in Edfu, on the walls of the Temple of the god Horus, there are therapeutic inscriptions on the use of essential oils, a handbook full of formulas that anyone could access. The administration of aromatic oils is still an effective natural remedy, as it helps to restore a healthy physiological situation and promotes self-healing and strengthening of the organism. “Of all the countries, Egypt is the one most suited to the production of perfumes.” (Pliny)

In particular, the 7 sacred oils for the healing of the soul and body are connected to the 7 Chakras, that is, the 7 centers of our consciousness: the Red Amber for the first, the Musk for the second, the Jasmine for the third, the Rose for the fourth, the Amber Cachemire for the fifth, the Sandal for the sixth, the Lotus flower for the seventh. A top Egyptian expert, nowadays, of Aromatherapy, used by the Pharaohs, whom I advise, since he is heir of so much wisdom, besides being Alchemist, Master Reiki Therapist, Clairvoyant is Teacher Gamal Abd El Sammie Zaki, who works in Giza, at Cairo, at the family perfume shop. Under the Imperial Age, Queen Cleopatra of Egypt, distinguished for her unquestionable beauty and charm, was often associated with the cult of the goddess Isis and was also remembered for being a leading expert on herbs, cosmetics and natural remedies, so that again nowadays the Cleopatra Bath is famous, a beauty bath based on warm goat’s milk, honey and essential oils, such as rose, for the radiance and nutrition of the skin, followed by a calming massage and a mask face with proteins and milk fatty acids. It is one of the treatments that I did not miss during my stay in the Sinai peninsula, at the Reef Oasis Blue Bay Spa Collection and I guarantee that, after 35 minutes of Cleopatra’s hydromassage bath, the skin was very nourished and softened and the feeling of relaxation was total. Even today, in the most beautiful Egyptian town of the Mediterranean, Marsa Matrouh, there is a spring pool 20 meters in diameter, where the legendary queen hid from prying eyes to relax in her bathroom, near the natural source. From there a few kilometers by jeep, you reach the oasis of Siwa, a magical place of charm, oracles and wellness, full of dates and olive trees, whose houses are made with the salt of the calm salt lake that delimits it, together with clay, desert sand and palm wood and where time seems to have stopped since then, when Cleopatra and Marco Antonio escaped into intimate retreat.

Siwa is almost on the border with Libya, among the soft curves of powdery sand of the dunes, where nature invites silence, relaxation and lightness, since you still live by beeswax by candlelight, in an atmosphere magical from film, without electricity and telecommunications systems and is very rich in salty, blue and bathing waters, or better still floating, as it has the same therapeutic properties as the Dead Sea. It is like crossing the threshold of an ancient world, forgotten by time, through which the flourishing trade of perfumes and incense, on camels, crossed the long deserts. In addition to being the crossroads for perfumery exchanges, Alexandria in Egypt was a beacon city of knowledge and knowledge, considered the fulcrum of Astronomical and Astrological Science, given that the Egyptians were experts at studying the language of the stars and at create sophisticated interpretative tools to trace the sky, based on observation of phenomena and mathematical calculations. Thus, the Ancient Egyptians have used “flair” in the business of perfumes, aromas and natural beauty ingredients, allowing themselves to be inspired by the precise study of celestial phenomena and intertwining a profound bond with the earth and the entire cosmos, according to the hermetic saying “as above, so below”.   Raphaella Dallarda (INSPATIMEBLOG)

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