South African-based Sophia Shuttleworth has written a well-researched and fascinating article about Sudanese perfumes on her African Aromatics website. Sophia, who describes herself as a artisan perfumer, starts out this way: “On Sunday 9 July 2011, South Sudan seceded from Sudan and became the world’s youngest country. The conflict...

“Do you dare to wear it?” – 1974 advert for Bint el Sudan perfume Mar.22, 2011 By Alison Bate It was my last day in Khartoum, the dusty desert capital of Sudan. I lay spread-eagled on my bed, trying to keep as cool as possible, and planning the day ahead. I’ll visit Omdurman Souk, I decided, follow on my grandfather’s trail. After...

I’ve had various emails from folks asking where they can buy Bint el Sudan in Canada or the U.S. As far as I know, it’s not produced here, but I’ve met a very nice Sudanese lady, Lubna Ali, who sells Sudanese products, including Bint el Sudan, here in Vancouver, Canada. I have no commercial stake in her company, but she...

By Alison Bate A well-worn package arrived today from northern Nigeria. The Fedex package looked lumpy, heavily inspected, with yellow and blue stickers and tape splashed with orange type declaring “Inspected by Canada Customs”. The sender: W.J. Bush & Co. of Kano, Nigeria. The original company of W.J.Bush & Co. may...

By Alison Bate (See also: Surprise in the Souk) In the Reader’s Digest Canada article about my grandfather and Bint el Sudan, there wasn’t room to include all the information and memories I collected about the perfume. Here, then, are some of the emails I received about Bint el Sudan, starting with the present, and followed by...