Editor’s Note
While precious metals and gems often dominate discussions of value, this article explores a natural resource of astonishing worth: agarwood. Prized for centuries across cultures from the Middle East to East Asia, this rare wood challenges our conventional notions of luxury and scarcity.
Most people would name gold, silver, or diamonds among the world’s most valuable items. However, there is a wood in this world that is even more precious than these, more expensive than diamonds and gold. Agarwood, obtained from the Aquilaria tree, is the most expensive of them all. This wood is also called Aloeswood or Eaglewood. This wood is found in Arab countries, Japan, China, India, and Southeast Asian nations.