Ottoman Empire

It's my turn to review. I have decided to purchase one of the last bottles after testing it. Being pretty new to the acquaitance of artistic/artisanal/"niche" (and stuff) fragrances, when I smelled this I felt like inhaling something totally different, richer, newer,bolder, more natural than I have ever smelled before (...and I own O 'Hira already....) One immediately comes across flowers, sticky and a little indolic, perhaps because of the Jasmine, but one cant pick up eache and every single flower (Roses, Jasmine, Frangipani), or at leas my nose cant. You smell thick flowers onto a base of Oud/Saffron/Sandalwood that makes one feel its presence right away- It's opulent-It's pure joy- One spray is enough, you'll have it with you for the Whole day..

This is a gorgeous rendering of the oud and rose combination, but done differently than any previous scent pairing. Like the other Areej le Dore fragrances, there is something so warm and compelling here that I can't quit smelling myself. The oud and the sandalwood notes here are both amazing and smell like the absolute real deal. No synthetics in sight. This fragrance, along with SIBERIAN MUSK, is a genuine masterpiece and I have to get my hands on a full bottle. Evidently, there are only 100 in existence.

First time wearing...OUTSTANDING! Quality fragrance with mixed notes of rose, nutmeg, cinammon and jasmine with quality oud in the background. Sillage and longevity great. Bravo Areej Le Dore.

I love this fragrance, a real treat to wear. I feel so lucky to have grabbed a bottle while still available. This house is my #1 of my entire collection of niche fragrances.

This is the perfume that started it all. Ottoman Empire! A very nice and effective rose oud that pays respects to the ancient blending of the Middle East. This is a great blend especially for a brand that has by the help of influencers finally reached global popularity but great rose ouds are in no shortage. Don't be mournful that you didn't own it. For those that own it this can be a personal favorite and your personal best rose oud. To me it is nice but easy to find as long as you have the reference from other rose oud fragrances. Ottoman Empire is a very regal name for a perfume showing Adam's confidence in his creation. It is a thick and long winded perfume and opens intensely jammy, sour and viscous with the rose slowly settling to a pungent and bitter leathery Assam Oud. Hindi oud is not my favorite strain of oud but it works well in Ottoman empire giving the rose a nice motor oil smell with full-bodied dank and sourly mossy base. It is a bit sweet and spicy from the frangipani and other things but overall its just a lovely rose and oud. Not one that stands out, or that I would personally hold in high regard. Adam's Siberian musk to me is more original the better expression of his creative skill as an independent perfumer taking a risk-forward approach and creating something that is unique. Before Mriga by Prin Lomros there was nothing like it. A classic western chypre produced in an eastern method of perfume creation. I own Siberian Musk but I could not have been more content with just a sample. Mriga is the same renditioning of deer musk showing that all that needs to be done to make such beautiful scents is a talent for blending and not merely expensive, natural, rare, and ancient ingredients.

Ottoman Empire is a natural powerhouse of aroma. Opens with sumptuous extravagant agarwoods! Three kinds! Smoldering, thick with the haze of over five types of rose, deepened with spicy, aged resins. Surprisingly, it isn't overpowering. Rather it has a noticeable sillage that is like a warm bath lasting hours. On my skin, oud dominates. It overshadows all other notes, and unleashes a wide range of nuances. Smokey-woody-sylvan forest stages, entangled with hints of rose floral, amber, and spicy resins. Later in the drydown, there's a hint of the effusive 7 year old sandalwood (mellow and buttery), and a touch of cinnamon. Full of earthy subtleties, OE radiates the lush, seemingly untouched smell of its organic origins. A great read, Kafkaesque's review of OE details the lavishness of the ingredients - a chronicle of rare and treasured essences. I love the natural aura, as if you gathered the makings from dark untamed environs and mixed a potent fragrance in the wild. Made possible by Russian Adam's use of only the most dynamic oils. You can smell the flamboyance of the ingredients! I'm looking forward to future wearings to see what other nuances I can detect. Described perfectly by the house as "the essence of mysteries . . . with a heart of extravagant richness."

Opens with a smooth rose, with some warm spices surrounding it, its very delicate and gentle, with a touch of sweet florals coming from the jasmine and white rose. The smoothness that I pick up in the opening sort of on my skin give off a somewhat sweet leather or suede accord. The scent no doubt has a old school feel, gives a nostalgic vibe, like you've back in time to a regal elegant period. As the scent develops the spices increase with a lot of smooth warmth, this no doubt coming from the saffron, as as the scent dries down its introduced to an unbelievably beautiful sandalwood, which is again soft in feel but strong in projection, its so creamy, incredibly smooth with a touch of woodiness, and a lot of powderiness. Projection is moderate overall, but the first few hours it is very intense. Longevity on my skin was around 8 hours. This is a regal scent, so best worn for formal occasions, suited to the cooler weather, so fall and winter. Overall rating of 5/5, a masterpiece. You can check out my video review on my YouTube channel: Handsome Smells

At the first sniff, Ottoman Empire reminds me a stroll through Rumi’s Rose Garden. As the great Persian mystic Mevlana said once "Love is infinite rose garden, eternal life the least of this blooms." The 4 tipes of rose oil extrait in this parfume ( Afghanistan, Georgia, Bulgaria and India) evoke a high spiritual state of mind and a visionary ecstasy, while the garden embraces all the world's glories. After a while, the oud oils, the saffron and spices in the composition stand out, floating in the air with the notes of sandalwood, amber resin and sweet myrrh, as once the harem of the Ottoman Empire was filled with an air of elegance, opulence and undiscovered secrets. All the composition seduces you and takes you to an opulent world of the Orient, of an empire that is brought to life by this perfume extract. Ottoman Empire, with all its natural ingredients, is the genuine masterpiece of the year and don't forget exist only a 100 bottles in the whole world.

So much hype, mystique & crazy resell prices around this one. Elegant roses, bright & mineralic with that red classic french powderiness, not fruity or jammy at all. Spices add a little more depth (cardamom, saffron), the Hindi oud a leathery & woody touch. In the base resins end things off milky sweet. Retail was 250$ for 50ml, but nowadays it is being sold for at least 5x the retail price if I‘m not mistaken, which is crazy. I don‘t think it‘s worth it. Overall a classic & well done rose oud DNA with good ingredients, but nothing special to me. The oud could’ve been more prominent in the base & the overall scent profile is a little too sweet, powdery & soft to me. Prefer it either fresher, oudier or more complex, with more pronounced high quality materials (like with EO, Agar Aura & Lost Tribe).

I could try this courtesy a very good friend Dr Nikhil Sharan. This is an intoxicating blend of many purest ingredients. I get Jasmin, rose etc that's well blended with what smells like civet or is that musk with castoreum? There's sandalwood. Russian Adam is very well known in pure oud circles for exceptional quality oud oils and I was initially skeptical when Adam announced introduction of spray perfumes. But now I'm fully convinced this is as good as his high end ouds. Only 100 bottles have been made. And samples are available for sale. This is a very opulent version of Amouage Gold man. The Gold's initial blast is excellent and later becomes cloying and unwearable where as this remains perfectly wearable and reminds me of great perfumes of the past.

Awe what a beautiful scent. I would so love my own bottle or maybe a 10ml decant. If anyone would be so kind as to sell me just a decant only. I would be so very happy. Thank you 🙏

I have a full bottle of OE III (5 sprays only used) for sale... or will swap for another ALD. Msg me. Or see the ebay listing: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/227068749569

Man, I just feel like I'll never be able to smell this one, as there is not an iota of an ml to be found anywhere.

How does does 1,2.and 3 compare, if I can find for example 3 should I buy 3 or if I can find 2 should I buy 2

The drydown is so great it almost makes me angry.