Somali Dabqaad Incense Burner
The dabqaad is the incense burner of Somali homes, a small clay or soapstone bowl raised on short legs and covered by a perforated lid from which the smoke of frankincense and myrrh rises. Somalia sits at the eastern end of the ancient incense lands, and the gums burned in the dabqaad were the same resins traded to Egypt, Rome, and the Gulf for thousands of years. In daily use the burner perfumes the house, and a lit dabqaad is placed near the door to welcome guests, to scent the rooms after cooking, and to sweeten the air at weddings and religious gatherings. The perforated lid lets the smoke