Musk-a strongly scented substance and highly-prized commodity, has a long and captivating history. Famed throughout the world in late antiquity – especially the Sasanian Empire in Iran - with the emergence of Islam, musk attained a distinctive position. For centuries, the sensual fragrance of musk has been synonymous with the rare and exalted: indispensable to royal treasuries; an integral part of religious practices at the shrines and later onto the shelves of pharmacists and parfumiers in the Near East’s bustling bazaars. With its many high-end uses, musk has found its way into applications of daily life - applied as a cure for ailments and even a flavour additive for food and drinks. In this episode we will dive deeply into many aspects of musk - as a cultural material, an aromatic product and a medicinal substance, from Japan and China to India, Iran, Yemen, Baghdad and Morrocco.

Anya H. King is Associate Professor of History at the University of Southern Indiana.  She is the author of Scent from the Garden of Paradise: Musk and the Medieval Islamic World published by Brill in 2017, a monograph which thoroughly examines many dimensions of musk in the medieval Islamicate tradition and culture over the Middle Ages. Dr King teaches history courses, and her research interests include medieval Islamic relations with Asia and perfumery, and pharmacology. 

What we cover in this episode

• What is musk 
• History of musk 
• Musk trade in the Middle Ages (9-13th century)
• Emergence of Islam and the mercantile world
• Musk in the Islamic tradition and Eastern cultures

Conversation key insights

• Musk is a granular dark coloured substance coming from a gland produced on the body of a male animal of musk deer living in the higher elevation habitats in Asia. 
• Musk has an intensely fragrant smell of animal body odour. Small quantity of musk can enliven any perfume compound substitutionally.
• Musk deer is now an endangered species, and its hunting is not permitted in many areas in Asia. It’s not legal and ethical to use the natural musk in perfumery. 
• Sasanian Empire in Iran has played a key role in introduction of musk into Western Asia and the Mediterranean world. 
• Musk certainly was one of the most expensive substances you could buy in the Medieval Ages. 
• The most prestigious form of perfumery in classical Islam was the combination of musk, ambergris and alosewood. 
• Using good perfume were part of an ambience of a civilised life in Islamic lands in Medieval Ages. 
• Musk of Tibet was the most famous and popular type of musk in the Middle Ages. 
• The emergence of Islam created a huge urban consumer market in the Islamic lands.

Terms

• Xitan Musk: Musk attained from Xitan Empire in Northern China
• Adab [ادب]: A genre of literature in Arabic/Persian language in the Middle Ages focused on etiquette, culture, and ethics.
• Cairo Geniza: Geniza is a type of sacred literature deposited and stored away to decompose naturally. Geniza in a synagogue in old Cairo survived with a vast body of texts from the Jewish communities of old Cairo in the Middle Ages. Geniza includes many specific information though unpolished and scattered.
• Ghaliyah: A dark coloured and strongly scented paste containing musk. Men used Ghaliyah for grooming their beard in the Islamic tradition. 
• Kudo game: A party game with incense for cultured people in the Japanese culture. 

Recommended reading

Scent from the Garden of Paradise: Musk and the Medieval Islamic World, Anya King, Brill, 2017.

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