Cleansing and purification
Bkhour, the Moroccan fumigation
Incense burned on charcoal at the threshold, after a birth and before a guest, to scent and, it is said, to clear.
Presented by ClearTrust Customs described as customs, free to read.
Bkhour is the Moroccan word for incense, and the burning of resins, woods and herbs on a small coal in a burner is a daily custom in homes across the Maghreb. It is used to scent the house, to greet guests, after a birth and at a wedding. People also say it cleanses a place of harm, and some believe it keeps away the evil eye and the jinn.
This is an outline of a custom, said as belief and practice. It is not instruction, it does not say that the rite works, and it is not medical advice.
What goes into it
- Frankincense and resinsPlantThe bulk of the burn.
- Benzoin and sandalwoodPlantAdded for scent.
- Charcoal discSubstanceThe hot base for the incense.
- Mabkhara burnerToolA clay or metal burner.
- Carrying through roomsGestureThe burner is carried from room to room.
- ThresholdSpaceWhere it is passed over.
- Plant
- Substance
- Tool
- Gesture
- Space
Each part has an equal wedge. The ring shows what goes into the rite, not how much. Colour is the part's role.
The steps, drawn
Each drawing shows the kind of act in that step. Details differ from place to place, family to family and practitioner to practitioner.
Step 1: Light Light a charcoal in the burner. Step 2: Gather Place a few grains of resin on the coal. Step 3: Speak Say a blessing as the first smoke rises. Step 4: Circle Carry the burner through the rooms and over the threshold. Step 5: Close Open the windows and let the smoke clear.
What is burned
Common ingredients are frankincense, benzoin, sandalwood, myrrh and oud, with herbs and pieces of resin chosen by the household or the herbalist. A woman may carry the burner through each room and across the threshold, and fumigate the clothes of a bride or a newborn. In the Gnawa healing night a different bkhour is burned for each spirit.
Place in society
Moroccan herbalists, the attar, sell blends by name and their uses, and a sellers' market is a major part of the old city. The smoke, as with other incense, can irritate lungs, and health advice is to ventilate the room, especially with infants and people with asthma. Scholars see the practice as part of a wider Arabic and Muslim culture of perfume, with a magical strand that some religious teachers reject.
What it is for
- Scent and welcome
- Clear a place of what is feared
- Mark a birth or a wedding
Who does it
Related entries
Also part of it, and being written: Bakhoor (The incense.).
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Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryJaadu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Closed or sacred detail is left out. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Jinn: VenusFeuerFalle, CC0, source
- Frankincense: No machine-readable author provided. Gaius Cornelius assumed (based on, Public domain, source