Rania J Samar Kand review
Rania J Samar Kand courtesy of the brand
“Sweet to ride forth at evening from the wells,
When shadows pass gigantic on the sand,
And softly through the silence beat the bells
Along the Golden Road to Samarkand.” ~ James Elroy Flecker, excerpt from The Golden Road to Samarkand
Rania Jouaneh courtesy of the brand
When asked if I was interested in perfumer Rania Jouaneh’s latest parfum, Rania J Samar Kand – I didn’t hesitate, for a plethora of reasons. For one, I hadn’t experienced a new fragrance of hers since Esxence 2019, when her Musc Moschus captivated me. Another was its irrefutable connection to the legendary Silk Road, that renowned nexus and crossroad of culture, trade, and ideas between East and West for millennia. The city of Samar Kand (or alternatively, Samarkand) assimilated influences from Greek, Arab, Mongol, Persian, and Turkic cultures, cultivating an environment of intellectual and artistic growth, especially during the 14th-15th centuries. Today this fabled Uzbekistani city retains its fascination and historical legacy; in 2001, UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List as Samarkand – Crossroads of Cultures.
Registan, the heart of Samarkand
“One day when I was at a crossroads in my career, I thought about how perfume was always a passion for me, and that it had been my childhood dream. On that very day, I applied to Cinquième Sens (Fifth Sense), a perfume school in Paris. And so, the adventure began …” ~ Rania Jouaneh
Standing at the crossroads is not a new experience for Rania: she is descended from a Middle Eastern spice merchant, and has traveled from her native Jordan to Morocco; from Morocco to Paris. This journey colors her perfumery – incorporating elements from East-meets-West. They possess the potency of Middle Eastern fragrances while integrating a definite Parisian finesse and elegance. I find that this aspect is one of the factors which points to her widespread appeal: they are authentic, wearable, bold, and refined. There is nothing shy or apologetic about them.
courtesy of the brand
Samar Kand opens with a beautiful mélange of sweet orange and bergamot; you can discern one from the other easily – candied citrus commingling with a more tart, sophisticated aroma. I smell the unique qualities of black currant straight away: juicy, fruity, sulfuric, and slightly feral. Banana-inflected ylang ylang melts into the apricot/suede of osmanthus, complex and intriguing. Geranium manifests as more herbal than rosy – which I find much more interesting, given all the other fragrant components. Samar Kand’s foundation is inclusive, dense, and robust, and it lasts for days – even after bathing. Oud and amber ally with powerful musks, a comparatively discreet sandalwood, a generous dose of caramel (in the sense of a singed sweetness), tonka, and a particularly prominent patchouli note. That patchouli fairly haunts this parfum, a reminder of its importance as an insect repellent during the transport of precious textiles such as silks and cashmere.
Camels and people traveling the Silk Road iStock
Rania J Samar Kand is redolent of the caravanserai – those roadside inns (usually built in geographical increments equivalent to one day’s travel) which once dotted the Silk Road. It was here that travelers, merchants, and caravans took their rest – all the while conducting business (bartering, purchasing) and exchanging thoughts, ideas, ideologies, and salable goods in high demand (spices, paper, precious metals, turquoise, lapis lazuli, architecture and paintings amongst them). To my nose, Samar Kand evokes both the fertility of this oasis and the desert which surrounds it: blooming life (flowers) and the dusty, well-traveled trails (oud, musk, amber, sandalwood, patchouli) taken by intrepid adventurers. Think of the nations which correlate to many of the olfactory materials! There’s geranium from Egypt, osmanthus from China, black currant which flourishes in Russia and the Himalayas, oud from many sources, Indian sandalwood, musks from the Himalayas, Siberia, India, and China; patchouli from Southeast Asia. We also associate amber with traditional hand-crafted Middle Eastern and South Asian perfumery – dating back to the Mughal Empire – once known as shamama. Rania Jouaneh has certainly incorporated these elements in her latest perfume, and they ring true and genuine.
Necropolis in Samarkand (Shah-i-Zinda)
Samarkand was the center where varied religious communities converged – Buddhism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity – providing a fertile environment for cultural exchange, commerce, and a more fluid relationship between nations (including China, Persia, India, Central Asia, and Europe). All this is a great deal to ask from a perfume – but Rania J Samar Kand leaves a rich, saturated impression, and exceptional longevity. I am certain that it will be cherished by many.
Notes: sweet orange, bergamot, ylang ylang, osmanthus, black currant, geranium, musk, tonka bean, oud, amber, sandalwood, caramel, patchouli
Flacon was gifted me by the perfumer – many thanks! My nose is my own…
~ Ida Meister, Deputy and Natural Perfumery Editor
Rania J Samar Kand courtesy of the brand
Thanks to the largesse of Rania Jouaneh of Rania J Paris, we have a 50 ml bottle of Rania J Samar Kand for one registered reader in the EU or USA. You must register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what you enjoyed most about Ida’s review of Samar Kand and where you live. Draw closes 1/11/2026
Editor’s Note Rania Jouaneh is also the perfumer for Kajal Almez
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