Today's Edition
RAJEEV CHERIAN (DUBAI)
Tracing the story of a daily constant in life, the Coffee Museum in Dubai opens a window into the making of a beverage that offers a timely dose of refreshment and stands as a symbol of Arab hospitality.
Located in the old alleyways of Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, along Dubai Creek, the two-storey museum explores the origins of coffee and its global spread.
Welcomed with a refreshing cup of Arabic coffee, visitors embark on a journey in an Oriental setting, amid neatly arranged coffee utensils, grinders and brewing tools from times gone by, along with other coffee paraphernalia.
The walls are adorned with coffee facts, sayings by notable figures about coffee, as well as details of the process, from bean to cup. On the second floor, a giant wall graph narrates the origins and spread of coffee.
It all started in the highlands of Ethiopia hundreds of years ago, when Kaldi, a goatherd from 9th century folklore, noticed his goats leaping and prancing around after eating berries from a tree. He told the story to monks in the local monastery, who later prepared a drink with it and found it helped them stay awake during nightly prayers.
According to information displayed at the museum, the coffee later arrived through the Yemeni port of Mocha (Al Mukha) to the Arabian Peninsula, from where Arabs took this new drink with them around the world.
As it spread, the first coffee house outside the Arab world was in Türkiye in 1554 called “Kva Han”, which came to be known as the “School of Wise”, reflecting its role as a meeting place of ideas, discussion and learning. A detailed chronology follows, tracing the gradual spread of coffee across the world.
Building on this journey, daily coffee consumption is now estimated at around 1,600 million cups a day, according to an inscription at the museum. It also notes that some 125 million people depend on coffee for their livelihoods.
The museum also houses a unique collection of books, exploring the world of coffee. The museum was founded by Khalid Al Mulla, a leading figure in the UAE’s coffee industry, in 2014.
At the end of the tour, guests are offered another cup of coffee, providing a refreshing boost to continue exploring the hidden gems of Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
