Ittar or Attar or Itr is a type of natural perfume extracted from flowers (such as jasmine, rose or lotus), herbs, spices, or barks in to base oil such as sandalwood oil. It is very popular in the Middle East, South Asia, and parts of Africa. Ittar is the most common form of concentrated perfume. Ittars are natural perfumes for daily use, and it is not injurious to health as alcohol can be and is suitable for both men and women. It contains about 20% to 50% concentrated perfume. It is a blend of various extracts and usually takes a period of about 5 to 10 years. The most well-known essential oil is probably Rose Ittar.
Since ancient times, many peoples have used ittars as a perfume. If you prefer natural products, ittar is a natural perfume in its truest form. Owing to natural origin it is suitable for all types skin. It is also useful in treating various skin diseases, various cosmetics, as it helps in improving skin tone and texture.
It was particularly popular with Mughal nobles of India. Jasmine ittar was the favourite perfume of the Nizams of Hyderabad state. It's customary practice in nobility to offer ittar to their guests at the time of their departure. The ittars are traditionally given in ornatetiny crystal cut bottles called as itardans. Because of its concentrated form, Ittar is sold in tiny bottles.
Most ittars are alcohol-free and are used by many Muslims, as one of the most beloved of materialistic things of this world to The Prophet Muhammad was ittar. They are also used among Hindu priests, and are offered as prasad and sprinkled on the devotees.
History
The word 'attar', 'ittar' or 'othr' is basically an Arabic word which means 'scent'; this in turn is believed to have been derived from the Sanskrit word Sugandha, meaning 'aromatic'.
The story of Indian perfumes is as old as the civilization itself. Archaeological evidence shows the earliest inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent held plants in great reverence. With the passage of time, scented oils were extracted by pressing, pulverizing or distilling aromatic vegetable and animal produce. Such processes led to the development of the art of alchemy, the earliest indications of which are available from the perfume jars and terracotta containers of the Indus Valley civilization. That the art has survived for centuries speaks volumes for the Indian perfumes.
Archaeological excavations (Indus valley civilization) have revealed round copper stills, used for making ittars, that are at least five-thousand years old. These stills are called degs. Following the seasons of the flowers, traditional ittar-makers, with their degs, traveled all over India to make their fresh ittars on-the-spot. Even now, a few traditional ittar-makers still travel with their degs to be close to the harvest. Their equipment has changed little, if at all.
A large number of references to cosmetics and perfumes in Sanskrit literature were found like in the Brhatsamhita is a 6th century Sanskrit encyclopedia by Varahamihira (505 AD – 587 AD). Cosmetics and perfumes making were mainly practised for the purpose of worship, sale and sensual enjoyment. Gandhayukti gave recipes for making scents. It gives a list of eight aromatic ingredients used for making scents. They were: Rodhara, Usira, Bignonia, Aguru, Musta, Vana , Priyangu, and Pathya. The Gandhayukti also gave recipes for mouth perfumes, bath powders, incense and talcum powder. The manufacture of rose water began perhaps in the nineteenth century AD. The earliest distillation of ittar was mentioned in the Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita. The Harshacharita, written in 7th century AD in northern India, mentions use of fragrant agarwood oil.
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