GASPAR AND BALTHAZAR ON THE INCENSE ROUTE

GASPAR AND BALTHAZAR ON THE INCENSE ROUTE

From Aksum in Ethiopia, Gaspar and Balthazar have taken the incense trade route that, in the 1st century, connected the Nabatean kingdom with the kingdom of the Magi Balthazar of Aksum through the port of Adulis.

This route passed through the region of Al Ula, which is rich in a 7,000-year history. Its prosperity derived from its strategic position as a crossroads for the caravan routes that traversed Arabia, particularly those used for transporting myrrh, incense, and spices. Tertullian of Carthage (3rd century) mentions: “Then from the depths of the East, the Magi appear… the gold of Arabia will be given to them.” This choice of the incense route in Arabia is reinforced by the interpretation of the prophecies of Isaiah, which designates Midian (Al Bad), north of Arabia, as the origin of the Magi’s camels.