Are cafes an exclusively Eastern invention or do Eastern ones simply have a characteristic ambience? One thing we know for sure is that the coffee plant is from the Middle East. According to legend, coffee was known in the days of King Solomon; Arab historians say that the coffee plant came from Yemen and that “Coffee Arabica” was known many centuries ago in Abyssinia (now Ethiopia). Ships from Arabia with cargoes of coffee were unloaded in Venice as early as 1570 and in Marseilles in 1645.

The first cafes were built in waqfs in Aleppo in Syria in the second half of the 16th century, and during the same period, literary cafes made their first appearance in Turkey. In those days people went to cafes to exchange news, recite poetry or listen to storytellers and musicians.

As time passed, the function of cafes expanded and changed. By the 19th century, people went to cafes to read newspapers and debate both serious and trivial issues. In the 20th century, cafes were meeting places where writers, artists and filmmakers gathered to discuss matters of intellect, art and philosophy.

It is said that the French poet Apollinaire (1880-1918) would spend the whole day in the Cafe de Flore receiving his friends. Also the impressionist painters — Monet, Renoir, Sisley and sometimes Cezanne — had regular meetings in various cafes at 5 p.m. and their discussions often continued until past midnight.

Over time certain cafes in Cairo and Beirut became social institutions and had an impact on our culture and literature. In Cairo, one of the oldest was the “Parliament” which witnessed the birth of the Nahda movement. Some of its patrons were Muhammad Abduh and Jamaluddin Afghani. Other famous cafes were “Zahret El-Bustan” and “Riche” in downtown Cairo where Naguib Mahfouz and other writers met regularly.

In Beirut, a number of cafes became legendary such as the “Horse Shoe” in Hamra Street and the cafe “Faisal”, which opened in 1920. The latter, in front of the main entrance of American University of Beirut, attracted Arab and Lebanese students and was the meeting place of such writers and poets as Adonis and Youssef El-Khal and other members of the magazine Chiir, or Poetry.

The climate of the East, compared to the cold, gray and rainy West, has favored the development and popularity of cafes where people can sit leisurely for hours on the terrace of a cafe, chatting, playing backgammon, cards or chess while sipping cups of tea or coffee.

In addition, the Eastern sense and notion of time is different from that of the West. In Arab countries, men sit for hours in a cafe contemplating life through the smoke of their hookah (sheesha) whereas in France, for example, Parisans drink their morning coffee standing at the counter of the cafe. Worse still, New Yorkers buy their coffee in Starbucks and drink it in paper cups while rushing down the street. Even the way we prepare our coffee, whether Turkish or Arabic, takes more time and effort than percolated coffee or expresso.

One of the latest trends in Paris is Arab coffee shops where you can order a hookah while drinking tea or coffee and listening to Arabic music. “Les Jardins d’Alexandrie” is the newest Arab cafe in the French capital. It opened in the summer and is conveniently situated in a street off the famous Champs-Elysees — rue Marbeuf. It is owned by the Egyptian businessman and former member of the Egyptian Parliament, Ramy Lakah. In fact, it is not only a cafe but a restaurant with a menu offering a range of Oriental dishes such as kebab, koftah, moussakah and mouloukia as well as such sweets as Mouhalabia, Oum Ali and Aish Assaraya. As for drinks, aside from traditional tea and coffee, one can order various Middle Eastern drinks such as Sahlab, Karkadeh and Jellab. The decor is a subtle blend of East and the West with Oriental carpets and Egyptian lanterns. The walls are hung with photos of Egypt featuring Art Deco architecture as in the Hotel Cecil and the Baron Empain’s villa and reproductions of paintings by Orientalist artists. At one side of the cafe is a bookcase with books and novels about Egypt. For customers seeking privacy, there is a salon downstairs that offers a discreet and intimate atmosphere, furnished with large black leather sofas and armchairs.

“Les Jardins d’Alexandrie” is not the only Arab cafe in Paris. There are two others in the Latin Quarter — Paris’s student area; they are “Oum Kalthoum” and “Baghdad Cafe” — both owned by Iraqis. They have been open for a few years and are more modest with their customers being students and Arabs living in Paris. “Les Jardins d’Alexandrie”, on the other hand, attracts a large number of Arabian Gulf tourists as well as Parisians.

Arab cafes have not only become popular in Europe but are also found in the US. Today in Los Angeles there are several Arab cafes, among them the famous “Habibi” located in the UCLA area. At a time when we are exporting our Arab “art de vivre” to the West, Internet cafes are found in all Arab cities and streets. I even found an Internet cafe in Luxor, halfway between the souk and the temple of Karnak.

* * *

(Mona Khazindar is a Saudi writer. She is based in Paris.)

— Arab News Features 25 September 2003