Shamama Attar

About Shamama Attar

What is shamama attar?

Shamama is a blend rather than a single note. The traditional method layers aromatic materials such as herbs, spices, saffron and woods into a base oil and distils them slowly, so the result is deep and many-sided in a way no single-origin oil can be. The name comes from the Arabic for a fragrant mixture, and the recipe travelled through Mughal perfumery into Kannauj in India, still the city most associated with it. It is alcohol-free, like every attar, so it suits prayer and daily wear alike.

What does shamama smell like?

Warm, herbal and slightly sweet at the opening, spicier through the middle, and settling into a woody, musky, amber base that stays close to the skin for hours. The shamama attar notes people pick out most often are herb, spice, saffron, sandalwood and musk. It is not a fresh or citrus scent and it is not trying to be. If you find single-note attars such as khus too green or too simple, shamama is the opposite: dense, layered and slow to unfold. Some people call it shamama perfume, but it is an oil rather than a spray, so it is applied a drop at a time. Most treat it as a cold-weather and evening fragrance rather than a summer one.

The four shamama attars we stock

• Shamama, our house version and the easiest way in at Rs.1,306 for 3 ml. Classic warm herbal-spicy profile.
• Shamama Dubai Sweet, Rs.2,000, softer and noticeably sweeter, with the sharp edges rounded off.
• Shamama Kannauj (Indian), Rs.3,500, made in Kannauj itself to the heritage method. This is the reference version.
• Shamama Kannauj Zaafrani, Rs.5,000, the Kannauj recipe enriched with real saffron, which adds a smooth, slightly leathery warmth.

Shamama attar price in Pakistan

A 3 ml runs from Rs.1,306 to Rs.5,000 depending on the grade, and a 12 ml from Rs.3,886 to Rs.20,000. The gap is the recipe rather than the bottle: a Kannauj shamama uses more, and more expensive, raw material than a standard blend, and the zaafrani version carries the cost of actual saffron. Our house Shamama is the only one that gets cheaper per millilitre in the larger size; the rest cost the same per millilitre whichever you take, so buy the size you will finish.

Wearing it

One dab at the wrist and one at the neck is enough, and less in warm weather. Shamama is strong and it rewards restraint. It layers well under a lighter oil if you want to soften the opening, and it sits comfortably alongside oud. For more single-note oils see our pure attar range, and for blended attars in the Arabian style see arabic attar.

Ordering and delivery

Shamama ships cash on delivery anywhere in Pakistan and usually reaches you in four to five working days. Our shop is at Bahria Orchard on Raiwind Road in Lahore if you would rather smell all four before choosing, which with a scent this layered is worth doing. Bottles still at least 95% full can be exchanged within 15 days, sale items aside, and orders from outside Pakistan go through WhatsApp.

Common questions about shamama

What is shamama attar made of?

A blend of herbs, spices, roots and woods, often including saffron, distilled together into a base oil. Recipes vary by maker and most are kept private.

What is the shamama attar price in Pakistan?

A 3 ml starts at just over Rs.1,300, and the dearest grade is Rs.20,000 for a 12 ml. The price section above lists all four.

What is Kannauj shamama?

Shamama distilled in Kannauj, the Indian city that has made attars for centuries. It is regarded as the benchmark for this particular blend.

Is shamama attar for men or women?

Both. It is a warm, spicy scent rather than a gendered one, though its weight makes it more of an evening and winter choice.

How can I tell an original shamama attar?

Genuine shamama keeps changing for an hour or more as the layers come through. A cheap imitation smells the same from the first minute and fades quickly.