Somewhat put off by Geli's execution, I sprayed "Wisal Dhahab" by Ajmal timidly at first. I was not at all sure what to expect. The woody, ashy, heavy side makes it feel more masculine. But the peach and florals keep it close to unisex. To me, the opening rides the line between a dark, mysterious, and very attractive male, and something my aunts might wear, settling on the former as the freagrance dries down. Wisal Dhahab is a wonder that clings to you and evokes dreams of being a 5 ft 10 elegant, white collar woman posing for a fashion magazine front cover... yet it is somehow unisex.

Often "Western noses" may not always be fond of such Oriental works of art, because their understanding of fragrance is different and quite different ingredients are considered "Oriental". So here and there a curtain is already being pushed aside; the voices of the women grow louder and livelier, and the first of them appear in the garden, lightly yet splendidly dressed. Final thoughts, beauty is in the eye of the beholder; however, this one to me is overrated. But if you associate beauty with beast-mode quality then this is for you. I've now worn this fragrance for over a week and have yet to fully understand how to describe Dahab! Perhaps I should begin by saying this is an open review - I will add more as I experience more.

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What made it more special was I get compliments when I wear it which gave me more reason to use it often. It became my spring 2016 signature scent. I loved this fragrance a lot, I often use this especially on special occasions because my husband, friends and family love the fragrance on me. It has in a way become my scent for a good year. 2017-2019 I went on a rapid fragrance journey- tested, tried and bought lots of fragrances and so my Ajmal bottle sat quietly inside my perfume cabinet waiting for me to notice it again. I occasionally use it but the other new fragrance discoveries always get my attention. I think some of us get to a stage in our fragrance journey when we have tried and tested a lot of fragrances and we eventually feel that it is time to choose a signature scent. I finally found mine and this is it- Ajmal Wisal Dhahab. This is my story connected to this beautiful fragrance.

Well, it does, and it doesn't. It presents the oud-rose-Iso-E combination that many an attar does, but with initially good sillage and hugely superb longevity. The balance may be better or not than some, depending on personal chemistry. I find the Iso-E in this one less overpowering than some and more so than others. Amber Rose by Al Rehab has less and lasts less. But other popular ouds that smell wholly chemical and masculine to me have far more! It's a matter of perception and skin, methinks. Before I wrote, I treated myself to a few noses full of fragrance and so it was easy for me to enter this enclosed area of the impressive palace and feel good at the cheerful hustle and bustle in fruity-floral and oriental resinous-woody atmosphere. The opening is a blast of juicy fruits- pear, apple and the faintest hints of the mandarine orange engulf you. But this is only for a moment as the rose glides in and settles quite wonderfully with the richest sandalwood you could desire. This sandalwood has an incense vibe that becomes pronounced in the dry down, it is a true sandalwood note, oriental in its bearing. A small grove of apple and pear trees are also already bearing fruit, some already overripe, playing their part in the fruity concert of scents that impregnates the air and is made so alive by the water features.Overall, the fragrance is rather compact and does not undergo any great development, but this is sometimes quite nice. I'll try to describe him: Obviously, "Wisal Dhahab" is a fragrance creature with its own ideas about how it wants to develop and with whom. If this is called a rose/wood combo, then it would not be telling you the full story of whiffs of geranium and jasmine that you can fully experience if spritzed on ones warm skin, or the musky, woody dry down and that faintest bit of cedar that remains on your skin. The patchouli troubles nothing, it is tamed by the musk. Spring of 2020; Since I have a lot of time, I decided to do a spring cleaning. I noticed my Ajmal bottle and I decided to spray some on and right away it reminded me of why I love this beauty. The burst of juicy pear opens up the fragrance. Not overly sweet because the citrus notes balances it. On my skin the fruit notes lingers for a good hour then it evolves into rose and sandalwood cord. This phase lasts for a good 2-3 hours which I absolutely adore. Then it settles into rose and musk for 2 hours. When applied on the fabric it lasts a lot longer. I never over spray my fragrance and for W.D. I only spray 3 times and it projects very well with a good scent trail which lasts for at least 6 hours on my skin. As one reviewer wrote it is a well balanced fragrance. Perfect for any season and occasion and yes perfect for any continent. I have worn this on holidays - from Spain to the Philippines and I get compliments when I wear it.

Noble orchids, also not stingy with their heavy, sweet, vanilla-like gifts of fragrance, hang in large baskets. This spiciness is combined with dark red velvety roses. Oud is certainly also indoors (albeit artificial), which gives the fragrance a slight smokiness, but rather subtle. I don't like it too smoky anyway. This is complemented by slightly woody bonds. I can't see any other flowers. It finishes with a subtle musky note that is very pleasant.Thus the aromatic and juicy freshness of the fruits, the blossom beauty of the flowers and aromatic-spicy hedges marry with the scents of the spices from the various chambers. The blending here is solid IMO. Not sure if Nazir Ajmal is the nose behind all of Ajmal's scents or just some of them, but if he composed this, I think he balanced all the notes pretty admirably considering how many synthetics he'd have been working with. The bottle is... goofy, but it's got a fun charm to it, and performance is solid but not outrageous. It ends up landing in the general zone of Zaharoff's Signature Rosé, but Wisal Dhahab is a much better value. First, I'm surprised that the very first spray the fragrance is not bombed around my ears. This happens to me otherwise with almost all fragrances so, they are in the sequence also still so discreet. No, not here, I have to start right away with my nose over the sprayed skin. It is fruity, I think I recognize the apple. Then, unfortunately, it becomes musty, I wonder if it's the interplay of peach and pear? Then follows for a while something that I can't describe but almost makes me nauseous. I feel reminded of "Amira Gold" by Al Haramain, there is also such a phase for me. Finally, the grapefruit emerges, which accompanies me until the end of the fragrance, it is unfortunately not particularly appreciated by me.... It definitely moves on a fragrance base, but on the one hand it is very weak and on the other hand I can't decipher it. Only now, about 15 hours after the last time I sprayed it on, can I detect a hint of woody base. I have to bring my nose directly to the sprayed skin for this, but there is still so much fragrance that I hesitate to apply a new scent. This is a more powerful and slightly more fruity take on Al Madinah Al Haramain and Amber Rose Al Rehab. Both of these are - if still available - considerably more affordable in the west, while Wisal and flankers are easily to be had and quite a bit less expensive in the middle east than here. It may logically depend on your geography as to which you prefer! The original Wisal in the silver bottle starts off more unisex and metallic and pretty much stays that way. Wisal Dahab starts with fruity-rose-oud with some powder and then loses the fruit altogether. Both of these are laden with Iso-E-Super as the woody note, making me understand comments about how Wisal smells common or chemical. The fruity part is short-lived. You can include these fruit notes all you want, but these top notes come and go in 10 secs before being occupied by synthetic rose (+ huge amount of geranium), musk bomb, some sweet florals, and some red fruits. I find the scent to be overwhelming, one-dimensional, and stuffy, especially when it's all about rose. This is more powdery and musky than woody. I believe it has synthetic ambroxan or something that makes it project like crazy. Sillage is huge that it causes me a headache sometimes, so 1-2 spray is more than enough, although longevity on 'my skin' isn't greater than sillage.

Plump peaches in velvety skins smell ripe and sweet, while tangerines and large grapefruit are fresh, already announcing the joy they will spread as an ingredient in cool drinks and food. The wide French windows of the rooms are wide open; the cooler wind, which has now also arrived, plays with the light curtains; it invites them to dance!

This is not a beast-mode fragrance, you can surround yourself with four sprays, but it is so long lasting that I don't see why you'd need five. This is also a versatile fragrance- any season, any time of day. From within, heavy precious wafts of fragrance from the precious oils and woods and resins burned for room fragrance flow into the garden.