NISHANEAni Extrait de Parfum

Under the theme of 'No Boundaries', creative directors Murat Katran and Mert Guzel collaborated closely with the talented perfumer Cécile Zarokian to create Ani Extrait de Parfum, which took inspiration from a famous Anatolian folk song called ‘Sar Gelin’ (in Turkish) or ‘Sari Gyalin’ in Armenian.

As the similarity of the name of the song in both languages suggests, both nations share a very similar culture as far as art, food or other aspects of life are concerned. The only boundary is in the imagination of the people themselves.

Ani is the name of an ancient city situated near the eastern border of Turkey, across the Arpaçay River from Armenia. Founded more than 1,600 years ago on a plateau in the remote highlands of northeast Turkey, Ani was situated on several trade routes and was conquered hundreds of times by different nations. It now lies empty, and the eerie, crumbling site has been included on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

As you walk among the many ruins, the only sound is the wind howling through a ravine that marks the border between Turkey and Armenia.

This perfume is dedicated to the destruction of any border between people and to empowering the wearer to build their own empire, even in a situation when they are left with nothing but ruins.

Top notes of bergamot, green notes, blue ginger and pink pepper give way to a heart of blackcurrant, Turkish rose and cardamom. A dry-down of patchouli, cedarwood, vanilla, benzoin, ambergris, musk and sandalwood rounds out this enchanting unisex Extrait de Parfum.

Ani also means ‘memory’ in Turkish, and during the creation process, a beloved friend of the creators of Nishane passed away, so Ani is also dedicated to the loving memory of Cem Karabacak.