Al-Zahawi Café
Al-Zahawi Café is a heritage coffeehouse located in al-Rashid Street between al-Maidan Square and Haydar-Khana Mosque in Baghdad, Iraq. The coffeehouse is one of the oldest traditional coffeehouses in Iraq with its establishment dating back to 1917. Named after the Iraqi poet and philosopher Jamil Sidqi al-Zahawi, the coffeehouse is one of the more well-known coffeehouses of Baghdad and housed many intellectuals, poets, singers, and journalists over its existence although it has declined in recent years since 2003.
History
Overview as an Intellectual hub
The coffeehouse was established in 1917 and was originally known as "Amin's Café", it was a shed with nothing but old benches and chairs. It didn't get its name until Nuri al-Said invited Iraqi poet and philosopher Jamil Sidqi al-Zahawi to the coffeehouse for a meeting due to the lack of respectable clubs or hotels at the time. The coffeehouse was later named after him and became a gathering ground for writers and thinkers. It's considered one of the most famous cafés in Baghdad. Among the most famous personalities associated with the Café are Ma'ruf al-Rusafi, Muhammad Fadhel al-Jamali, Abd al-Karim Qasim, Muhammad al-Qubanchi and many more. The walls of the café includes many framed pictures of those personalities.In the 1930s, the coffeehouse reached headlines of both Baghdadi and Cairo newspapers after the influential Bengali poet and philosopher, Rabindranath Tagore, had visited the coffeehouse. It was also noted that al-Zahawi himself had a rivalry with the Iraqi poet Ma'ruf al-Rusafi who he also had intense discussions with him in the coffeehouse. Nevertheless, the café remained active with large groups of influential groups and figures visiting it. Hookahs were given for free by the owner of the coffeehouse.
Due to its location, the coffeehouse was partially damaged during the 2003–2011 Iraq War. Although the coffeehouse was quickly rebuilt and reopened. Most of its visitors today are intellectuals, poets and the elderly and remains active despite decline in its activity in recent years.