Usually, one should take cover when tinkering with scents from Swiss Arabian. They often leave their bottle with a loud clamor, as if they had been locked inside against their will. However, with Nouf, I don't get much from the sprayed cloth at first, so I reapply, perhaps I didn't hit the mark well before. After all, the bottle is quite dazzling and can temporarily lead to disorientation. Yet even when I double spray, the scent still holds back. So, is it a "Good-things-take-time" fragrance? I let it rest a bit and try my luck again later. And lo and behold, the rest did it good. Something fine and floral wafts from the cloth and lightly above it, but it still wouldn't have been enough for a comment. So, onto the skin with it! And behold...!
I am awakened by delicate scents that caress my nose and face. Finest mists, invisible yet almost tangible, lightly brushing over my skin and leaving a gentle breath upon it. Where am I? I lie soft and warm. Above me, I see a canopy dressed in heavy old rose-colored velvet, supported by four intricately carved wooden columns. From the ceiling, heavy curtains of the same color hang down to the floor, just closed enough to let some light through to me. In this half-darkness, I see the oriental signs embedded in the columns and golden floral patterns alternating with other carvings and inlays. They appear lush and precious, merging with the wooden frame that supports my bed. I now spread my arms out to the sides and something soft immediately falls into my palms. I turn my head to see what it is. It is a sea of petals on which I am laid. Rose petals everywhere and in all colors, mixed in with dried and grated bergamot shavings, grapefruit peels, and lemon peel flakes. The interplay of these thousands of scattered cushioning flower and fruit pieces concentrates around me in the air and, thanks to the slightly drawn curtains, seems to stand still in it. An aroma that almost makes me dizzy envelops me as I still wonder whether I am awake or dreaming. The light shining through one opening of the curtains penetrates stronger than through the others, making me even more curious, and I sit up, moving through the sea of fragrance to the edge of the bed, where I can push the curtain aside a bit. Some petals that I pushed aside fall forward to the ground, where others are already lying. Blinding light suddenly floods my eyes, making me blink restlessly for a moment. But after a few moments, the pain passes and my vision clears. A few meters away from me is a window carved exactly into the white wall, resembling two adjoining arches. Silken shimmering golden curtains hanging from it sway in the wind that flows through the walls, now also carrying the scents from my bed more and more into the room. Although they are now dispersed through the air, their radiance is still impressively perceptible. I slowly stand up and look down at myself. My clothing has been replaced by a light silky kaftan in pearly white, around my waist I wear a belt-like golden fabric band wrapped several times with softly jingling golden bells and delicate little plates. Around my feet, I wear several gold chains with pendants. As I look down at myself, I now notice that the petals on the ground form a trail leading to the window. Wobbly and barefoot, I walk on them to the window without ever touching the cold stone beneath and brush aside one of the fluttering curtains behind me to look outside. My eyes behold a magnificent garden!
Palm trees spread protectively over small wooden tables and chairs, letting their ripe dates fall into the soft green grass, snowy white pebble paths winding through greenery and color, connecting the table groups, statues, or small ponds, rose bushes and exotic flowers in all colors and sizes, trees and shrubs with citrus fruits in green and yellow, and among them, free-roaming peacocks, pheasants, and quails. Everywhere, there is rustling in the leaves from smaller birds that have built their nests in them and let their joy of life flow freely with melodious song. The scents of the plants and trees rise high to the window, and I immediately know that what I perceived as pleasant aromas in my bed must come from down there. The shimmering heat in the air and the gentle carrying wind ensure that the aromas express themselves even more strongly. As if it were squeezing them like a fruit to the last drop, leaving nothing to waste. I feel instantly as if I am in paradise. But how did I get here? Just days ago, I was crossing the desert with my father and some porters. Our destination was the city of Basra on the Persian Gulf. As a scientist and archaeologist, my father hoped to acquire some relics of bygone days for his private collection or to supplement the exhibits of his client, the British Museum of London. Then a sandstorm came. That is the last thing I remember. A call pulls me from my thoughts. An older gentleman in white and with a head covering waves to me from the garden. I almost didn't recognize my father. So they had found and rescued us both. Not far from there, some other men are also waving excitedly and beaming up at me. Relieved, I see that the whole entourage has made it. Suddenly, an older lady approaches me in the room. In her hands, she holds a wooden tray with a golden rim. On it is a crystal carafe with a honey-colored liquid inside and beside it a bottle with a spray nozzle. "Rub this precious oil on your skin before you go down and spray yourself with the perfume, it will refresh you and surround you with pleasant fragrance," she says in a gentle, almost motherly voice, as she places the tray on a small table and then disappears again. I rub the elixir in my hands, and instantly all the scents from the bed and the garden are back. Bright, vibrating citrus notes, sparkling spices, and exquisite rose petals. Amber and woody notes provide a soft counterpoint to the citrus fruits. All blended in their own oil. An olfactory revelation! I apply it and almost immediately notice how the scent becomes warmer and warmer as soon as it touches my skin. From there, it unfolds even more intensely. Then I finally envelop myself in the scent from the bottle and hurriedly descend the stairs, rushing out into the garden, into the arms of my joyfully beaming father...
Nouf: The Muslim meaning of this girl's name is: Highest Point on a Mountain.
And exactly there I let myself be carried on its fragrant wings when I apply the scent. Then I see the land again, the garden, the sun, my memories...
Updated on 09/16/2019
Top Notes 
Bergamot
Grapefruit
Lemon
Heart Notes 
Amber
Pepper
Base Notes 
Cedarwood
Rosewood
TämmyTäm
Jaichwill
Julia142
Irini
