Nablus - An

average group of friends and patrons of the Humoz Café in the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank. Haj Ibrahim al-Shakhshir (Abu Amjad) was holding a hookah pipe and pulling his smoke and talking about the latest news in his city, especially the recent municipal elections and the political situation locally and globally, and the high prices that concern him More maybe during Ramadan.

Hajj Ibrahim Al-Shakhshir returned to enjoy his Ramadan rituals in cafes (Al-Jazeera)

In the picture in which Abu Amjad (80 years old) appeared smoking "tambak" (dry tobacco) in Al-Homouz Café, one of the oldest and most active cafes in the city, Hajj Al-Shakhshir seemed indifferent to the "Corona" virus that confused the world for the past two years and its consequences are still in place until now. Especially for a man his age.

This year, and not in the past two years, it became clear that the Palestinian Ministry of Health and for several months had eased the preventive measures in relation to the Corona virus, and this was by allowing gatherings and holding weddings and celebrations and not obligating citizens to wear a muzzle, after the size of those vaccinated against the virus reached 62.6% in the West Bank and 35 1% in the Gaza Strip.

Abdullah Al Homouz, owner of Al Homouz Café in the center of Nablus (Al-Jazeera)

Despite the procedures, the rituals are present

And Abu Amjad, who has been accustomed to cafes for 40 years and frequented them morning and evening, and has special rituals in the month of Ramadan, he refuses to give up, even in the years of stress, he would come whenever he had the opportunity, but with preventive measures.

Abu Amjad told Al Jazeera Net, "After Tarawih prayers, I go to this café and stay for hours among friends and loved ones, and if I don't participate in playing dice or "hardship" (paper), I just drink the hookah and read the newspaper daily, and he adds, "This is a routine that I can't give up easily."

Citizens playing dice in the midst of a heavy presence of customers inside cafes (Al-Jazeera)

While some customers bring the private hookah from their homes to the café, Abu Amjad is satisfied with changing the nozzle of the plastic tube (Al-Mubassem) for his hookah as a precaution. He believes that the spacious café’s space and the presence of indoor and outdoor yards in it make the distance more available. As for the drinks, he drinks them as usual with glass cups that wash well, as he trusts the workers very much. The cleanliness of the cafe.

In addition to Abu Amjad, the young man, Sidqi Abu Dhair, was sitting with his friends watching them while they were playing dice, trying to shoot one of them and drawing another's attention to the method of throwing the game stone, while everyone laughed in the place.

Abu Dhair tells Al Jazeera Net that he is a permanent customer of the café during the normal days and more during the month of Ramadan, and he expected that the attendance would be prominent this year.

Tambak (a type of tobacco) is among the most important Ramadan rituals in cafes, especially for the elderly (Al-Jazeera)

This is due to the citizens’ being cut off from cafes and restaurants to eat their breakfast and their suhoor in 2020 and partly in 2021, “and therefore the place began to be crowded more during the holy month, especially after the first half of Ramadan, when the market movement and Ramadan activities are active,” and he adds that Corona has disappeared among the people and is no longer talked about except Media only.

Abu Dhaher and his companions at Al Homouz Café have special rituals, such as bringing home sweets and eating them in the café, telling different Ramadan stories, as well as working side conversations.

While others, especially the elderly, keep coming to the cafe immediately after breakfast and not after Tarawih prayers.

Some cafes revived Ramadan nightly activities to attract customers (Al-Jazeera)

After a stagnation..back and strong

As Nablus is famous for making various sweets, especially kunafa, cafes are full of them after breakfast, in addition to hot and cold drinks known as Ramadan juices such as licorice, dates and carob. Other cafes display Ramadan series, and others come with theatrical performances and storytellers.

Nablus counts about 50 cafés, according to Abdullah Al-Homouz, the owner of the "Al-Homouz" café, and all of them are filled during the holy month with customers, especially after Tarawih prayers due to its proximity to mosques, and it is an indispensable meeting place for people.

Such a mixed cafe is bustling with customers due to its proximity to the tourist areas of the old town (the island)

In his café, which was established in 1894 and where Umm Kulthum sang, Al-Homouz says that as he expected his 65 tables to be filled with customers during Ramadan and from its first days, unlike in 2020, when the café was closed and reached the point of non-existence, and even during the past year it was not occupied by 50% Or less "We almost couldn't pay the employees."

He added to Al Jazeera Net that for months, Corona's procedures had greatly eased, and that this helped to gradually return to the cafes that, on their part, adhered to some preventive measures, the most important of which is the use of cardboard and plastic cups and the use of healthy tubes for hookahs for one time.

Statistics from the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism indicate a loss of $1.3 billion in total revenues in the tourism industry in 2020, and $1.2 billion in 2021, and that 25,000 people have lost their jobs.

The Humoz Café is characterized by its large area and yards inside and outside (Al-Jazeera)

Noticeable recovery

Like Nablus, cafes have flourished in most of the Palestinian areas, which was confirmed by citizens in a poll for Al Jazeera Net.

In the face of great expectations that the customers will live longer during Ramadan, the young Amr Al-Tamimi, the owner of the "Al-Basha" cafe, worked before Ramadan to prepare the roof in addition to the basement floor, and his workers were busy preparing the tables for that.

Al-Tamimi says that due to the geographical location of the "Kharafi" café, and its center is Al-Nasr Square in the old city of Nablus, as a tourist site frequented by many and where Ramadan events are held, as well as the diversity of its sessions for males and females, this increased the demand of citizens for it.

Corona measures are no longer adhered to in cafes in Nablus (Al-Jazeera)

Al-Tamimi tells Al Jazeera Net that he expects the turnout to increase more in the last days of Ramadan, as the tourism and purchasing movement is active, and he has also prepared for Ramadan evenings to sing religious muwashahs, which is preferred by the people of the city.

Although the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism has taken many measures to revive various sectors after the Corona crisis, this was criticized by the owners of tourist cafes, who say that the plans do not include them, but rather are directed to large tourist sites.