The Last Caravan: Yemen's Frankincense Trade and the Rise of Islam

Long before oil, before coffee, before the modern crisis, Yemen was the world's only source of frankincense and myrrh — resins so precious they were worth more than gold. In this episode, Lucas and Luna trace the ancient Incense Route from the groves of Dhofar to the temples of Rome, following caravans laden with gum resin through the Hadhramaut and the Qatabanian kingdom. They stop at the lost city of Shabwa, the wealthy capital of Hadhramaut, and the port of Cana (modern Bir Ali), where the Romans tried and failed to break the Yemeni monopoly. They explore how the Nabataeans became middlemen, how Pliny the Elder recorded the trade, and how the rise of Christianity and then Islam transformed demand. Finally, they consider the environmental impact: how over-harvesting of Boswellia trees and changing trade routes after the rise of Mecca turned Yemen's economic engine into a memory. The episode ties the ancient economy to the region's later isolation, offering a new lens on Yemen's long arc from center to periphery.

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