Istanbul

Incredible, beautiful scent! A real treat! Do you like saffron? If so, you will love this! Saffron and rose are the main stars, I think...supported by other perfect nuances! The new Istanbul formulation is even better, with more sweet woodsy and ambery notes, although I do miss the more dominant saffron vibe of the original.

This has become one of my favorites. Strong smooth oriental, rose, saffron and some musk to support these. Also a tiny bit fresh, could be the Peach. Reminds me of Al Haramain Mukhallat Maliki, but this is, while very strong, still more gentle. Also a bit less complex. Very good.

I was looking for a signature fragrance for myself, and finally i found AKAF Istanbul, a Wow Attar with immense blast which filled the whole room infact whole house...

I can't believe they discontinued this one.

Instanbul starts with quite a medicinal aroma from the saffron and is followed by tart peaches. Even though it is not listed in the notes I detect a strong citrus flavour and I think that is from the tartness of the peaches. There is definitely a lot of Saffron in the background which adds a very pungent aroma to the mix. The rose is very shy and a little overwhelmed by the Saffron. Reminds me a little of Molton Brown's Saffron and Patchouli Body Wash which I adore. I can't say this is one of my favourites and even though I love Saffron, there is too much in this perfume. Tends to make this a more masculine fragrance to my nose. To soften the Saffron, I layered with Monotheme's Rose which makes the Rose come forward and much more wearable. Longevity is only about 4 hours, this is a very light fragrance.