Considered the first perfume created by mankind, kyphi is an ancient incense, medicine, and solid perfume composed of sixteen distinctive aromatics combined in an elaborate process.
The earliest known reference to kyphi comes from the Pyramid Texts over 4,500 years ago where it appears in the list of items that the king will enjoy in the afterlife. The Harris I papyrus records donations and deliveries of herbs and resins for its manufacture in the temples of the time of Ramesses III. Instructions for the preparation of kyphi and the list of ingredients are found among the wall inscriptions of the temples of Edfu and Dendera in Upper Egypt.
Throughout this prosperous and fabulous period, The Egyptians burned this sacred incense in the temples every evening in honor of the god Ra, the Sun god whom they venerated, but also as preparation for dream work, to free one from the worries of the day before, to simply perfume the houses and to perfume themselves. Beyond its aromas, they finally believed that each ingredient composing the kyphi had magical properties.
