Product Code Database
The dabqaad (Somali language for "fire raiser"), also known as girgire is a Somali people incense burner, or censer. With either one or two handles, it is commonly used in Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti.
Frankincense ( foox/fooh) or a prepared incense ( uunsi), is placed on top of hot charcoal inside an incense burner, the dabqaad. It then burns for about ten minutes. This keeps the house fragrant for hours.
The dabqaad pot is made from a white clay or soapstone found in specific areas of Somalia. Meerschaum (sepiolite) is used to make the dabqaad, with the district of El Buur serving as a center for quarrying. El Buur is also the place of origin of the local pipe-making industry. The ancient Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut was very fond of the incense when she went on her expedition to the ancient Land of Punt.Abdullahi, pp.98-99
Somali people living in the West often obtain their dabqaads from the Horn of Africa, in person or through relatives.
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