Our Story
Who are Al Hashimi?
Al Hashimi was started by a team with decades of experience of Oud and general perfumery between them to continue the ancient tradition of Middle Eastern perfumery. In a world where the new and novel are celebrated, we prefer to share masterpiece scents inspired by timeless classics that will never lose their appeal.
Unrivalled Agarwood Expertise
Our pedigree is distinguished with one of our founders being well-known in the world of agarwood as the founder of Ouddict: The Artisanal Oud Community, which is now the world's largest online oud and natural perfumery forum and through his activities within this community. He has been instrumental in helping and advising many current agarwood vendors to establish themselves in the industry. He is also the co-founder of Agarwood Eco Capital who own and manage sustainable permaculture agarwood plantations in Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Are Al Hashimi an Oud Oil reseller?
Al Hashimi want to provide the best possible products to our customers and believe that this is only possibly by exercising control over every stage of the production process for our freshly distilled Oud oils that are then aged until ready for release. We are involved at every stage from conception of the type of Oud oil to be produced, to the pre-production inspection and selection of the best quality and types of wood, to proprietary techniques and methods employed during the distillation process and then finally ensuring the highest quality Oud oils by thorough post-distillation conditioning of the oud oil.
An exception to the above may exist when, in common with other Artisanal Oud oil vendors, we may happen to discover hidden treasures aged to perfection. In this case, we are happy to offer exceptional aged Oud oils that otherwise may not be available to our customers.
How do you guarantee that your Oud oil is genuine and free from adulterants?
Al Hashimi run two distilleries of our own and a lab where we craft many in-house Oud oils and attars. We do also work exclusively with a very small set of distillers who we have known since 2016 and who have a proven track record in custom distilling the finest Oud oils in the world to our exacting specifications. They operate on a basis of trust based on past experience and occasional GCMS-testing.
Do you have a store I can visit to sample your oils?
Al Hashimi currently operate a retail operation online that offers low volume, high-value niche products and are able to offer the best value to our customers by avoiding the much larger overheads associated with a more traditional “bricks and mortar” operation.
The Concept
Ghallia is the name of the company under which Al Hashimi perfumes will be launched, but Ghallia doesn't stop there and goes beyond the founding aesthetic of Al Hashimi. The company derives its name from the most expensive perfume made for the Arab Caliphs of the Islamic World during its Classical Period. Al-Nuwayri, a 14th c. Muslim historian relates, that when Al-Ghaliyah was blended for the Abassid caliphs it was stored in a silver flask sealed with a cotton-stuffed Chinese silk stopper and represented the pinnacle of luxury and refinement. So in the Muslim world, this word is associated with the most expensive and finest perfume irrespective of the origin of the perfume. Many contemporary perfumers operate on a misunderstanding of the concept and associate Al Ghaliyah with a pre-defined formula based on traditional materials such as musk, ambergris, rose and Oud. This is a mistake as Al Ghaliyah represents a concept rather than a formulation.
Etymology of the Name
The word Ghallia itself is a compound of two separate words, firstly from the ancient name of France – Gallia in Latin. The origin of the Arabic name for this legendary perfume, simply comes from the word, “ghalli” – in Arabic غالي which means “expensive”. The fusion of the compound word represents a new synthesis of the two traditions of occidental and oriental perfumery represented by France (1700-Present) and Classical Islamic Civilisation (800-1500CE).
General
Given the etymology of the name, the perfumes created by Ghallia will incorporate the creative elements of both occidental and oriental traditions to produce a unique olfactory experience. This combined with the use of the finest natural materials available, the perfume will exude an aura of luxury, privilege and exclusivity for those fortunate to own a bottle created under this brand name.