Vallée des Rois Mira Takla Parfum

The fragrance Vallee des Rois is said to have been blended according to Cleopatra's signature scent recipe. I believe that without hesitation. It is also said that it was not her enchanting nose (a rumor spread by Asterix), but rather this fragrance that ensured she had an incredible effect on the male gender, even though she was not a "perfect 10." And since men have learned nothing since the days of Cleo, Obelix, and the Romans, and think not with the organ between their ears, but with one that lies much deeper, it should still work today....

I knew and adored Vallee des Rois by Mira Takla back in 1990. With some initial difficulties, and without knowing anything about the fragrance at the time...
Mira Takla, female, residing in London and Egypt, is one of the chairpersons of the British Egyptian Society, and in a joint venture, this British-Egyptian fragrance was created in the late 80s based on the aforementioned templates.
Harrods, which was then still owned by Dodi's father, Mr. Al-Fayed, an Egyptian businessman, initially carried the fragrance exclusively. Later, it was made available through the distribution of Perma-Jeune, again under the direction of an Egyptian, to a few other houses in Europe, which could be counted on one hand. Harrods, which still has an Egyptian Hall today, even after Mr. Al-Fayed is no longer the owner, was then even more tailored to the wealthiest customers in the world, and already offered a large selection of unaffordable Arabic and oriental fragrances for ordinary mortals. Amouage in the £50,000 version (now about 60,000 euros), Vallee des Rois also in the more affordable 500ml Extrait variant, for 2500.
I wandered among all the splendor with wide eyes and a small wallet, watching the golden credit cards heat up. I had one - green - but only for emergencies! The extremely friendly saleswoman at the stand offering Vallee des Rois approached me. I looked around, as she couldn’t possibly mean me... But yes, she meant me. She briefly explained the special features of this fragrance and sprayed it onto a pyramid-shaped scent card. However, when she told me the prices, I took the card and said goodbye rather hastily. I tucked the card away and only brought it out again in Düsseldorf to place it in a desk drawer at work. It stayed there for months, and I made it a habit to pull the drawer open several times a day to sniff the wonderful scent. The desire to own it grew stronger with each passing day. One day, I returned to London. At Harrods, I marched straight to the counter and bought the fragrance I had been dreaming of for months.
For a long time, it was my fragrance for special occasions, as it hadn’t been cheap, and I purchased it two more times, once in Düsseldorf and once in Wiesbaden, as these two fragrance specialists were the only ones in Germany who had it by then. Unfortunately, with the dawn of the new millennium, my bliss came to an end. Vallee des Rois was no longer sold in Europe, even at Harrods. Allegedly, it is still available in Egypt, but that has yet to be confirmed.

About the fragrance:
Imagine Habanita and Les Souveraines d'Egypte being so brilliantly merged by a perfumery master that a new, independent fragrance emerges. It contains all the strongly scented floral oils, woods, resins, and grasses of the Near East, has a dark, slightly oily consistency, a room-filling sillage, and a longevity of up to 48 hours. The top note is woody, unsweet, and heavy with flowers, the heart note is incredibly balsamic, erotic, and dark, with creamy sweetness and tons of sandalwood. The base likely includes some animal products and oak moss, as it is both velvety and animalistic.

Long before I had heard of Oud, Parfumo, and niche fragrances, this scent was my nirvana. Not a mere fragrance, but a statement, an affirmation of my femininity, a bow to the knowledge and art of ancient, bygone empires.

With Vallee des Rois, one feels grounded, divinely feminine, and full of mysteries. I handle my last few milliliters of Vallee des Rois very carefully, as they must last until it returns to the unworthy.