A closer look
When your empire is practically swimming in gold, regular water just doesn't cut it for a bath. The Mughal courts of India were obsessed with olfactory opulence, largely driven by Emperor Jahangir and his brilliant wife, Empress Nur Jahan. She famously popularized 'Ruh Gulab,' an impossibly expensive rose essential oil. The court's fountains were literally pumped full of rose water, ensuring that political diplomacy was conducted in an atmosphere that smelled like a concentrated botanical garden.
