By Anya Strzemien
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I had just returned from a trip to Israel where several days prior to landing in New York, I was on a small plane flying down to the southern beach town of Eilat. From the window of the plane I spotted the mountains of Aqaba, Jordan. The mountains glowed in the orange sunshine, my camera clicked away, and I vowed to someday visit Aqaba.
So imagine my surprise when several days after returning to New York I was assigned to write about a perfume named Aqaba. Based on ancient sugar daddy King Solomon and his wife Queen of Sheba, Aqaba is a celebration of their romance and of the fleet of ships built for Sheba by Solomon to sail her incense, oils, and spices to Far East kingdoms.
Aqaba was created by Miriam Mirani. At the age of 20, Mirani set out traveling around the Middle East. It was at the Red Sea that she found a view of Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia – the cornerstones of ancient civilization – laid out before her and her fascination with Middle Eastern culture was born.
Aqaba is a gorgeous perfume. It’s the perfect bouquet of spicy and sweet. A formally trained classical musician, Mirani draws parallels between the creation of music and the creation of perfume. Aqaba is made of Bulgarian rose, cinnamon, cardamom, and an array of Red Sea flowers (the top notes), Egyptian jasmine, damask rose, and clove (the mid-notes), and frankincense, peach, tea leaves, white cedarwood, and fragrant oak moss (the low notes). Mirani has captured the romantic spirit of Solomon, Sheba, and the ancient Middle East.
Mirani has put unbelievable thought and precision (and five years of research) into every detail of this perfume. The box is fashioned after papyrus and cane (a reed that was used for ship building thousands of years ago), a faux ruby to represent the ruby inlaid throne of Sheba, and a brass bottle cap to represent the crowns of ancient royalty.
Aqaba has received numerous accolades from Italian Elle, German Vogue, numerous French beauty magazines, Essence, and Mademoiselle. To receive a sample or to purchase Aqaba, please visit www.mirani.com. Email:
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