It was a meeting place for merchants, poets and witty people.. Al-Bayrouti is the tale of the oldest Baghdad coffee shop

BAGHDAD -

On the banks of the Tigris River at the head of the old bridge on the Karkh side of Baghdad stands out Al-Bayrouti Café, one of the most important and most famous old cafes of Baghdad, as it was open from dawn prayers until late at night.

Al-Bayrouti is located in the area that was known in the past as Sharia Al-Jamous, on the western side of the Tigris.

The British traveler James Silk Buckingham visited the Beiruti Café in 1819. While he was sitting in the Hassan Pasha Café, his attention was drawn to the Beiruti Café, which is located on the other side of the Tigris. He said at the time: “Opposite the Hassan Pasha Café on the other side of the river, there is a larger café lit with lamps that give Its lights are on the waves of the Tigris.” This indicates that the building of the café predates Buckingham’s visit by years.

Al-Bayrouti Café is one of the well-known heritage cafes in Baghdad (Al-Jazeera)

The cafes in Baghdad are divided into two parts, some of which are located on the Karkh side and the other in Rusafa on the eastern side of the Tigris River, and occupy a special place in the social life of the people of Baghdad, old and new.

In addition to being a place frequented by adults and children for entertainment and entertainment, it is a small forum in which issues related to economic, political and other affairs are discussed.

Abdul-Jabbar: The café was named after its owner Ibrahim al-Bayrouti al-Karkhi (Al-Jazeera)

Why is it called

And about the memories of the café and where its name came from, its manager, Aqil Abdul-Jabbar, spoke to Al-Jazeera Net, saying, "It was named by this name in relation to its owner Ibrahim al-Beiruti al-Karkhi, who traveled to Beirut and upon his return was called al-Bayrouti, and the café was built of wood and located near the central fish market, which is spacious It extends to the areas of wool, fat and leather, and it was a meeting place for poets and gentlemen from Baghdad. The café was famous for serving hookah and various drinks such as tea, coffee and others.

Abdul-Jabbar continues his talk about the memories of the cafe, saying: In the spring of 1954, the levels of the Tigris River rose due to the large number of rains, which led to the flooding of the city of Baghdad, drowning and completely destroying the Beiruti cafe.

In 1978, the Baghdad Municipality reopened a new café with the same name, on the western side of the Tigris (opposite the old café).

Jawad: The conditions of Iraq during the last quarter of a century affected the heritage activities, and the Beiruti Café suffered from neglect (Al-Jazeera)

Regarding his opinion of heritage activities in general and of Beiruti in particular, Muhammad Ali Jawad, a researcher in Iraqi heritage and antiquities affairs, says, "The conditions of Iraq during the last quarter of a century cast a shadow over archaeological and heritage activities, as many heritage buildings, homes and cafes - including Beiruti - suffered from neglect, Individual efforts played a major role in protecting it and bringing it back to life.”

Jawad adds to Al Jazeera Net that the biggest role falls on the shoulders of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to raise awareness in order to preserve these heritage sites, and so that Al-Bayrouti has his own charm that combines the nobility of the past and the charm of the present.

Al-Zamili: Al-Bayrouti’s evenings are only sweetened with the Al-Baghdadi shrine and eating masgouf fish (Al-Jazeera)

Beiruti customers

Ali Muhammad Sabaa, who has been at the café for about 10 years, says that he never stopped coming to Beiruti, as he used to spend evenings, especially in the summer there, as it is a rest stop in addition to providing job opportunities for young people.

For his part, the official of the heritage halls in the café, Aqil al-Zamili, says that after the opening of the alternative café in its new location in 1978, it continued to provide its services to visitors since then, until the Baghdad Municipality rehabilitated it in 2014, when new halls were built, including the Baghdad Hall, the solar hall and the library hall designated for reading. And reading books, in addition to the floating hall on the Tigris River, pointing out that the evenings of al-Bayrouti are only sweetened with al-Baghdadi’s shrine and eating masgouf fish.