The olive groves of the Jordan valley have been my adopted home for over a decade; the palm trees, the wadi waterfalls, the Sufis there.

But lately the tropical jungles have taken me prisoner and the blessed soil of Judah is a place I get to walk on less and less.

Iris Noir is dedicated to this land.

This is not a waltzing-down-the-Arabian-souq scent. It wasn’t inspired by spices and bukhoor. This is a New Yorker’s take on the Hashemite twilight that has beckoned his return year after year. The honeysuckle you smell on the way to the zawiya. The Melissa wafting though your kitchen window at sunset, the thyme and orange blossom and rosemary. Gaze at the galaxies lighting the caves of Petra. The Shaykh handing out swipes of jasmine; murids asking about that rose he used to wear. And the scent par excellence of Sufis: oud.

Ingredients include an in-house sandalwood melange, wild Cambodian oud, Japanese rose otto, a generous dose of orris butter, and, of course, much more.

This edition also features a vintage, wild-harvest Maroke oud. I’m surprised it never occurred to me to incorporate this previously! The Maroke’s coco-tobacco-noir profile gives the iris heart a serious incense mood that gives the entire fragrance a regal oud allure.

In perfumery terms, a gentle exchange of dry and wet aromatics, top notes with the freshness of morning that takes you to noon, warm heart notes that lead you to sunset and base riffs that let you sit down and invoke the Name in the dead of night.

So, no. You won’t see a poster of a celebrity endorsing Iris Noir at the Duty Free. It’s not for the confident and independent men or women in those ads they tell you to be. It does not assert one’s masculinity or accentuate your femininity. It’s not a scent for your ego – it’s a genderless aroma that lets you step outside yourself and lets you see a world of beauty, an olfactory scentscape as real as the purple fig trees on the green hills as you drive towards Jerusalem.

It’s a scent of the river Jordan, the wadi waterfalls; the Sufis there.

Featured Testimonials…

Received my bottle of Iris Noir Maroke today and what should I say ? I really liked the OG Iris noir but I’ve missed the opportunity to get a bottle of it and now I have this version that’s even better in my opinion.

The additional maroke oud adds a nice woody touch to it and hints of darkness, the iris is still the main player and shining in all its glory. Creamy, buttery and slightly dusty with sweet floral notes.

Beautiful attar and a bang for a buck!

—Chris A / Germany

Iris Noir: Maroke is a masterful blend of sandalwood, wild Cambodian oud, Japanese rose otto, and orris butter, with vintage Maroke oud imparting a profound, incense-like depth.

The orris is luxuriously smooth and buttery, while the Maroke oud adds dark, earthy, and subtly musky tones, with Melissa accentuating the mentholated nuances. A harmonious mix of honeysuckle, rose, jasmine, thyme, orange blossom, and rosemary, combined with Cambodian oud, offers a vibrant yet nuanced sweetness.

The dry down unveils a strikingly rich resinous finish.

—Adib H / Malaysia

flower iris – papua smoke – jungle oud – spicy melange – creamy sandalwood – sweet orris butter

—Home L

Iris Noir Maroke Attar, has turned me to another journey of appreciating Orris, this raw precious material. This version is quite different from the OG. OG is muskier and more animalistic than Maroke version. However, Maroke version shows a darker tone on the scent profile, and even oudier than OG, thanks to the great amount of Maroke oud added.

Applying a fat dab on waist, the peachy orrisy opening exposed so quickly. It is that soothing and attractive. No one would say no to peach-orris combo~ The dark earthiness from Maroke oud oil also comes along with this sexy opening. There is a very slight animalistic musky feel, very furry and truffle-like, but will fade quickly. This Maroke oud is a bit green and dark, giving me a vibe of emerald green.

Mellisa provides a layer of menthol to make the scent even darker.

I could detect honeysuckle by its light-tea styled sweetness and elegant floral tone. A touch of rose and jasmine, combining with Cambodian oud made it more vibrant and sparkling.

It will finally settle down on a thick layer of creamy sandal-orris. That resinous creaminess is possibly the favourite part I love in this journey with Iris Noir Attar. It does remind me of the creaminess of Oud Ertugrul pp but Iris noir Attar is more dense and powerful, which, as an Attar, is understandable. Talking about the ouds in it, they all show up from start to end and become more and more appealing with time. Different from White Night, Iris Noir Maroke is less sweet and peachy, and darker or will say it greener, in the emerald green colour.

—Yisean Z / Australia

Buttery – Smooth Iris – Resinous – Wow! …really beautiful, really nice… I love it!

—Travis H / USA