YOU can’t just walk in and take a seat without looking around you and gazing at the arches, lamps and chandeliers. Nor can you help but admire the library and the smell of Oud (Agarwood) that is found in the Moorish atmosphere of the Andalusia coffee shop, named after the Islamic name for Moorish Spain.
People who visit the coffee shop find it a cozy and comfortable place for families and friends to socialize in. For bookworms, Andalusia is the perfect place to lose oneself in reading.
“When I first entered Andalusia I felt like as if I was at home,” said Ola Walid, 23. “I went there with my friends and found the atmosphere very comfortable, which makes any parents feel secure enough to send their daughters there without worrying that they may be exposed to a room filled with smoke coming from a sheesha pipe,” she added.
Located on Prince Sultan Street of Jeddah, the owner of Andalusia, Ahmad Al-Shugeiri, who is also a television presenter, had the idea of opening the shop three years ago with an aim of encouraging people to read.
“I was thinking for almost three years to find a way to get the nation of Iqraa (“read,” which was the first word of the Qur’an to be revealed to the Prophet Muhammad) to begin reading,” he said.
Al-Shugeiri noticed that in recent times the youth like to gather in coffee shops and so thought of a novel idea to develop a venue where people could meet, drink beverages and have snacks and also be surrounded with books. Al-Shugeiri thought that this would be a way to drive youngsters to become more interested in reading.
In both the single and family sections, the coffee shop contains a “Bait Al-Hekma” (House of Wisdom) area. Books available at the coffee shop reflect the intellectual atmosphere of the Andalusian Age.
“People of that age used to care about their religion without forgetting their life and in addition were dedicated to the development of the sciences,” Al-Shugeiri said.
There are also religious books, books on relationships and raising children, and of course Al-Shugeiri’s latest book “Khawater Shab” (A Young Man’s Notions), named after his recent Ramadan program which was dedicated to advising the Muslim youth in how to be a better nation.
English-speaking visitors can also enjoy reading books found on the shelves of the House of Wisdom. The Moorish decoration has grabbed the imagination of many people who are intrigued to see what is inside.
As soon as you enter the shop, customers enter the Cordoba Hall, named after the largest cultural city of Islamic Spain.
“I first thought of making the theme of the place modern and funky, however, I then felt the Andalusian style would be better. You can find modern cafés everywhere, but there are hardly any traditional ones that serve as reminders of our days of glory in Al-Andalus. So I wanted our youth to remember those days and be proud of our heritage and to make an effort to bring us back to the glory of bygone days,” said Al-Shugeiri.
The décor is like an Andalusian hall and reminds one of the many historical sites still standing in Spain. The fabrics that cover the sofas, the waiters’ uniforms, and even the big chandeliers swaying in the middle of the hall provide the onlooker an insight into the old world of Moorish Spain.
The menu also offers Andalusian tea, which resembles Moroccan tea and is poured by waiters using a special method of holding the tea pot high and letting the tea form bubbles as it quickly rises to the top of the cup. The menu offers a wide variety of modern cuisine ranging from sandwiches to desserts.
Visitors would also notice that women visit the coffee shop more than men, something that has made Al-Shugeiri develop a larger family section. “I rarely see people inside Andalusia holding books; however, I hope reading will gradually catch on as the youth see their peers sitting at the coffee shop reading. Change doesn’t come suddenly,” Al-Shugeiri said optimistically.
Other than being a library and a coffee shop, Andalusia is special in being one of the few coffee shops where customers can enjoy a coffee cup without having to be tormented by cigarette and shisha smoke. Andalusia is strictly non-smoking.
“I target people who watch Amr Khalid and Yalla Shabab. My target is the moderate Muslim youth who want to succeed in life and the afterlife without separating between the two,” Al-Shugeiri said.
“I thought of making this place in order to provide the youth with an alternative to the places where they go to smoke shisha or wander in malls. Before we advise them to stop going to such places we need to offer them alternatives where they can meet their friends,” he said.
Andalusia offers annual memberships to its customers at SR1,500, reductions can be gained if groups of two or three people join together. Members are allowed to use the Internet and the Al-Zahra meeting room, which includes a rounded meeting table and a plasma screen for presentations. In addition, members are able to attend four free lectures during the year presented by famous lecturers including Tarik Al-Suwaidan and Nusaiba Al-Mutawa. Members are also get a 50 percent discount on renting the singles section and a five percent discount off the menu.
Al-Shugeiri is hoping to open other branches across Saudi Arabia by 2008. “The first city that I would think of having another branch would be Riyadh. Then I might think of Dubai or Kuwait. There are no certain plans yet,” he said.
The music played in the coffee shop is a collection of Islamic songs that fully suits the environment. On display and for sale there are antiques and paintings, the details of which are available to customers and listed in the menus.
Andalusia is an extremely wonderful place to have coffee and lose oneself in books while reading. If you’re looking for something different then Andalusia is the place to visit.
