Damascus Opera

Inspired by & Reinterpreted — Amouage Gold Woman

Dedicated to Lena Chamamyan, the Syrian-Armenian soprano of Damascus, and her song cha’am — where she mentions Jasmine, Incense, Rose, Musk and Ambergris become the scent of a city remembered. 

imagined upon Lena Chamamyan as she sings at the opera in the early 2000s — silk, gold, flowers and incense beneath the chandeliers of Regal Damascus.

A vintage aldehydic floral opens fresh and bright  — dewy soapy Lily of the Valley, rises with Damascus Rose and Silver Frankincense. As the evening warms, jasmine, Myrhh and Orris emerge powdery, soft and extremely regal. 

 As the evening deepens beneath the silk and gold jewellery Musk, civet and Ambergris slowly reveal the sensuality beneath the elegance. The regal façade gives way to warmth; what began immaculate becomes sensual, and alive.

A fragrance dedicated to Lena Chamamyan as she sings at the opera beneath the chandeliers of Damascus — silk, gold, jasmine and incense surrounding a voice born from the city itself 

And beyond the sensuality, Damascus begins to breathe. “Overlaid it a crescent moon, and embraced its beauty” The fragrance becomes more than the woman wearing it — it becomes her Damascus: the city that held her youth, shaped her voice, and remained beneath every memory.

“A heart that fermented by a wound”

Musk and Ambergris remains leaving a animalic sensual warmth that feels alive. The music ends The chandeliers dim — and with it, the memory of Lena, singing Damascus into the night.

Lena speaks of jasmine, rose, incense, musk and ambergris — precious scents transformed into images of Damascus. Through them, she romanticises the city she remembers, connecting scent with imagery to preserve a powerful memory.

Scent and music are among memory’s most powerful anchors they can bypass description and return us directly to a place, a person, or an emotion.

“Cha’am, you are my girl and my mother.You nurtured my youth”…