Aqaba

Miriam Mirani, founder of the house of Aqaba was born to parents originating from Eastern Europe and Mediterranean. At the age of 20, after completing her music studies at the conservatories of the United States and Europe, she decided to travel around the Middle East. She traveled with Bedouins through desert oasis of Sinai and the Nile Delta. At the Red Sea she got acquainted with the ancient Semitic civilizations and discovered the city of Aqaba right in the middle of this cradle of civilization.Spending some time there, Miriam Mirani discovered Berbers in Marrakech and Fez and their ancient traditions, and was learning about the traditional art of Arabian perfumery. In 1993 Miriam Mirani returned to Aqaba and some months later, using her perfumery art she embodied her fascination with Aqaba and the story of the legendary love between King Solomon and Queen of Sheba in a fragrance that unites the ancient, traditional and modern. The fragrance she named Aqaba.Aqaba, the ancient jeweled city on the coast of the Red Sea, is known as a point on the ancient caravan trade route for perfume oils and spices. Aqaba was the place where the Queen of Sheba landed when traveling in a ship built for her by King Solomon, on her way to visit the wise King.Leaving no soul indifferent, Aqaba also inspired Miriam Mirani, who paid tribute to the legendary love between the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon by creating a collection of five fragrances which symbolize and represent the awakening of eternal love and eternal spring: Aqaba Classic, Aqaba Spring, and the "Jewels of Aqaba" trilogy—Sands of Aqaba, Midnight Sun and Jewels of Blu. In order to capture and pass on the beauty of Aqaba through fragrance, Miriam Mirani has created this beautiful collection. AQABA is the tribute to the legendary love of Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. AQABA Spring is the re-birth of this love and the Eternal Spring. From the Eternal Spring and Eternal Love, we have the Four Components of Love (according to Miriam Mirani…), the first of which is NATURE. In NATURE you have the SUN, the SAND and the Blu SEA: therefore, Midnight Sun, Sands of Aqaba and Jewels of Blu. Aqaba is located on the tip of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba.Three thousands years ago a beautiful black queen traveled over the Sahara desert towards Jerusalem. According to the legend, thirsting for truth and wisdom she was heading to visit the wise king as she had heard of his great wisdom. She did not travel alone; her retinue included numerous attendants in a caravan of camels and mules laden with vast riches – gold, precious stones, oils, spices…Her route took her across the Red Sea in ships specially built by the Wise King to carry the precious heavy cargo. There on the other side, her travel continued through the jeweled city of Aqaba placed on the ancient caravan route. Not knowing it then, she was heading towards her love, the love that became legendary, the love between the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon.The legend about the love between Makeda (or Balqis in Arabian) and King Solomon still lives in legends, poems, tales…and in a fragrance. It lives again through Aqaba, a fragrant memento of legendary love…of all loves.The fragrances of Miriam Mirani received many accolades from world's renowned magazines such as Essence, German Vogue, Mademoiselle, Italian Elle, etc.Aqaba Classic is a seductive and exciting fragrance which uses ingredients from the traditional Arabian perfumery. This amazingly lasting fragrance opens with powerful rose blended with spices and precious frankincense and develops into a charming and irresistible sweet trace. The composition is built of Damask rose, frankincense, Egyptian jasmine, Bulgarian rose, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, peach, tea leaves, white cedarwood and, oak moss.The fragrance is captured into an interesting round-shaped bottle the details of which are reminiscent of the ancient love story – the faux ruby represents the ruby inlaid throne of Sheba, while the heavy brass bottle cap features the crowns of ancient royalty. The bottle comes in a red draw-string pouch reminiscent of Arabian jewelry pouches. Designer Aqaba has 13 perfumes in our fragrance base. The earliest edition was created in 1998 and the newest is from 2018. Aqaba fragrances were made in collaboration with perfumers Thierry Wasser, Jean-Pierre Subrenat, Miriam Mirani and Vito Lenoci. more...