Coffee house tourism initiative in capital
Beit Al Gahwa campaign to support traditional art of preparing and serving Arabic brew
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Beit Al Gahwa (coffee house), an initiative to encourage young Emiratis to take up tourism projects centred around Arabic coffee, was launched by the Department of Culture and Tourism-Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) yesterday.
Beit Al Gahwa permits will be granted to Emirati youths interested in operating independent projects after receiving training by heritage experts at the Department of Culture and Tourism.
The training course will teach how to make coffee using traditional tools as well as the traditions of serving coffee and managing the majlis in which the ceremony takes place.
The traditional Beit Al Gahwa majlis design includes ■ many authentic heritage elements, such as Al Kuwar or the stove, which is located such that guests can watch the coffee-making stages.
The initiative launched at Manarat Al Saadiyat is a key element of DCT Abu Dhabi’s strategy to revive authentic heritage and traditions such as the art of making Arabic coffee, which was inscribed on Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2015.
In a press release yesterday, Mohammad Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: With the Beit Al Gahwa initiative, we strive to share a cherished part of our identity, to pay our respects to the connections made over a cup of authentic Arabic coffee, to further enhance a cultural dialogue and a profound sense of acceptance and tolerance.”
Saif Saeed Ghobash, undersecretary of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “Beit Al Gahwa licence is the first stage of starting a potentially lucrative tourism project.”