Radiant sunlight was slowly fading...evening calm and still....smoke from hookah was filling the room...as i was gazing through the window witnessing marvelous sight of gigantic man made structure reaching out to stars...bell rang 'Ting Ting'...the two clock arms had met, prayers from local mosque started sounding 'Allah uh Akbar'...outside traffic came to a halt, TV showing local football match turned off..all the hands holding a hookah pipe were seen folded with both their palms and head looking up...small lip movements with verses of prayer. This was the scene at a small cafe directly facing the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. While I was on my way back home, I had some waiting time in Dubai and decided to make best use of it by checking out Dubai's new tallest building. I took a metro train from Dubai airport to Al-Rashidiya and got down at Burj-Khaleefa/Dubai Mall station. After seeing Burj-Khaleefa and Dubai Mall, I was walking back to metro station to take a train back to Airport. On my way, I came across a small cafe shop, as I still had few hours for my flight, I decided to stop by for a coffee. The owner of the cafe apparently rich arabic businessmen welcomed me as soon as I entered the shop.
He was tall, well built guy wearing a full white gown and his head was covered with white piece of cloth held firmly on head with black string. Its a typical men's dress in middle east. As soon as I got in, I said 'Hello, How are you ?". I was bit surprised by his response to my greetings, he came walking very close to me and took a deep look from my head to feet with his sharp eyes and casually
whispered few words...'hmmm.....Hindusthani.....Aao janaab baito idhar'
I replied back saying..'Shukriya' can I get a cup of coffee here ?'
Owner: "Zaroor...." (He call's out his assistant)
A beautiful lady walks in with a smiling face. Surprisingly, She was not dressed like arabic women, instead she was wearing a skirt and full sleaves shirts.
She came up to me and asked 'Would you please move to that table sir' ? The other table had hookah on it and she was going to refill it with fresh tobacco leaves and make it ready for me and owner to njoy it. I said, I do not need Hookah, so I just ordered a cup of coffee. She later said, the seat where I was sitting is usually meant for owner and his close associates, so she had taught I was one of his friends. I started sipping a coffee and taking stock of the situation, happenings, ambiance and people in that shop. The owner was very cool and casual guy, who used to walk around slowly but with confidence, and inhaling a puff of hookah every now and then. He was also enjoying a local football match being shown on TV. Though I couldn't follow Arabic commentary but i could sense the mood and energy in the match. Everyone were seen applauding and exaggerated with goals and missed chances. The shop had very comfortable sofas with many tables around....every table had a hookah standing, there was circular staircase leading up to a closed room... the wall had a big photograph of Dubai Sheikh clung right at the entrance door. The women was doing all the work i.e billing, serving coffee, adding tobacco to hookahs etc. She was very active and charming. Most of the customers were Arabic men who seem to have had stopped for a little chat with owner and a puff of hookah. The concept of smoking tobacco filtered through water originated in India, but became hugely popular in the Middle East, and eventually diffused all over the world. The Dubai seems to be haven for fans of hookah. The customers here tend to stick around long after the meals are over, chatting, sipping on coffee and puffing. The hookah look like tall flower vase or stand with a pipe sticking out, its handcrafted for a longer and smoother smoke as well as better taste. I talked to the owner and he shared some insights about lives of arab people. Alcohol is not served in any restaurants or hotels. Most of the arabs own the place and they usually outsource hard work of running and managing daily business to others while they sit back relax, play and njoy the life. It is very much a male-dominated society, but women often hold all the power within the home, responsible for the welfare of large extended families. Many generations will live together in the same house. They are keen lovers of sporting events such as hunting, camel racing and football.
I also learnt the significance of Arabic dress, the white gown is designed to help cool the people who wear it, as it is very hot in the Middle East. The garment is designed to maximize ventilation, and the white color absorbs the least amount of heat. The shemagh (cloth on head) can quickly be pulled to cover the nose and mouth of the wearer, protecting him from sudden sand storms. The igal (string) was originally used to tie camels, and was worn on the head when it wasn't being used (no pockets back then), and it wouldn't slip off when they were riding horses or camels. It then developed into traditional head dress. The bisht can be made of camel hair, mohair, wool, there are many blends. The edges are lined with threads of real gold (so it's heavier than it looks). In the end, I thanked the owner and his assistant. He offered me to hang on for few more hours but i thankfully declined and headed back to metro station.
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