Few people realize that cafés, which can now be found all over the world, actually originated in the Arab region. Tokyo alone boasts some 8,000 cafés, and café culture is deeply engrained in the lives of the city's population. In part two of "Arab in One Minute," we explore the Arab culture from the perspective of cafes.
Many readers are likely to be unfamiliar with Arab culture and all the wonders it entails, so we have created this series of five short texts, titled "Arab in One Minute," which aims to provide brief introductions to various aspects of Arab culture. We hope you enjoy the part two.
Some say that the Arab world is the birthplace of the café, and it was from there that it spread to Europe. The Arabic word for coffee is "qahwah," and it undoubtedly has a connection with the English words "coffee" and "café." There are other words of Arabic origin that we use today, too. "Al" is the definite article in Arabic, and it is believed that English words beginning with "al" probably came from Arabic - words such as "alcohol" and "alkaline."
But wait a minute. The word "alcohol" might originate from Arabic, but Islam prohibits the drinking of alcohol, doesn't it? We all know that Japanese middle-aged men would have trouble imagining a life without alcohol. How about Arabic men?
A men's "open café" in Iraq
Photo: Watanabe Satoru
A men's "open café" in Iraq
Photo: Watanabe Satoru
The world's oldest mosque, Omayad
By D Jabi
"There's a popular café around here. Do you want to try it out tonight?" This is an invitation I received once from an acquaintance who lives in Damascus, Syria. The café in question was in a quiet residential area of "Old Damascus," a beautiful section of the city that is included on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Incidentally, Old Damascus is also home to the world's oldest mosque, Omayad. Surrounded by castle walls and with stone-paved streets, the area retains the look of the Middle Ages and it is criss-crossed with narrow, labyrinthine streets that are a lot of fun to explore.
From the outside the café resembled an ordinary private house, but inside it was full of young people. I remember walking through the dark night and opening a door onto a room bursting with light and the sound of laughter. We were led to a table on the loft-like second floor overlooking the young people on the first floor below and were soon enjoying apple-scented tobacco in "hookah" water pipes and a rich Arabian coffee that had been brewed with cardamom. Pop songs by the latest female idol from neighboring Lebanon were playing on the café's stereo, and some people were standing up and moving to the music. It was a nice nightspot, but there was no alcohol. Still, it was lively and the young people continued their revelry until late in the night.
Arabian coffee in Damascus, Syria
By Daniel Roy
"Hookah" Water pipes
By soranyan
Wherever you go in the Arab world - however small a village it might be - there will always be a few chairs lined up on the street in an "open café." And without doubt, those few chairs will be the gathering spot for the local men. Arab men love to chat, and they enjoy spending time with their friends and acquaintances. And coffee and tea are the essential accompaniments!
An men's "open café" in Iraq
Photo: Watanabe Satoru
In fact, tea is more popular in the Arab world than coffee. Chinese "Cha" is believed to have spread to the Middle East from Guangdong, and that became "shay" in Arabic and "chai" in areas that are closer to Turkey and Iran. In Russia and India tea is also known as "chai," and of course in Japanese it is "cha." Tea is one thing that connects Japan with the Arab world.
Text: Watanabe Satoru
Journalist, photographer. Reported on the Iraq war in 2003 and has continued to report in Iraq since. Publications include Kurudo, Iraku, Kyukutsu na Hibi - Senso o Hitsuyo to Suru Hitobito (The Kurds, Iraq and Days of Feeling Locked In: The People For Whom War is a Necessity; Gendai Shokan). Also involved in editing the magazine Kikan Arabu (Arab), which is published four times per year.
季刊アラブ
What is "Arab in One Minute"?
An attempt to explore the attractions of the Arab world in five themes.
You'll surely feel much more familiar with Arab culture after reading them all.
Next update is scheduled to be on Wednesday, 2nd May, 2012.
■Relevant information
・"Arab in One Minute"
File-01 The Arab World on Screen
File-02 My first time at the café, the meeting place of men
File-03 Lamb or Chicken, That Is the Question / Cuisine and Hospitality
File-04 Ruins from Time Immemorial: Mesopotamia, the Birthplace of Civilization
File-05 The Beauty is in the Geometry:Calligraphy and Arabesque
・Arab Express: The Latest Art from the Arab World
16 June - 28 October, 2012
