- Title: Decades-old teashop reflects Erbil's heritage
- Date: 23rd January 2017
- Summary: ERBIL, IRAQ (JANUARY 16, 2017) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF THE CITADEL OF ERBIL PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH THE QAYSARIA MARKET VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SITTING OUTSIDE THE MAM KHALIL TEA SHOP PEOPLE WALKING INTO THE TEA SHOP PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE WALL VARIOUS OF PEOPLE DRINKING TEA VARIOUS OF PHOTOGRAPHS ON THE WALL OWNER OF THE MAM KHALIL TEA SHOP, MOHAMMED KHALIL, POINTING TO A PHOTOGRAPH OF HIS DAD, MAM KHALIL (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) OWNER OF THE MAM KHALIL TEA SHOP, MOHAMMED KHALIL, SAYING: "This was my father's shop, it is part of Erbil's heritage and my father's legacy. Erbil's history starts here. After the citadel, there is this tea shop. There are people whose great-grandfathers visited the shop, and now great-grandsons are coming to see this place, to see its history. Mam Khalil is like a museum." HOT WATER POURED INTO A KETTLE TEA SERVER PLACING SUGAR INTO CUPS TEA SERVER POURING TEA INTO CUPS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) OWNER OF THE MAM KHALIL TEA SHOP, MOHAMMED KHALIL, SAYING: "My father loved photographs ever since he was a child. He gathered all these photos to hang. He loved taking pictures as well, and collecting old photos. He loved old photos. He gathered all these photos and hung them on the wall." VARIOUS OF PHOTOGRAPHS DISPLAYED ON TEA SHOP WALL VARIOUS OF MEN DRINKING TEA VARIOUS OF A REGULAR PATRON OF MAM KHALIL TEA SHOP, SALWAN GHAFOUR, DRINKING TEA (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) REGULAR PATRON OF MAM KHALIL TEA SHOP, SALWAN GHAFOUR, SAYING: "The Mam Khalil tea shop is in Erbil, in the Qaysaria market. This market dates back 175 years, and the tea shop is considered one of the cultural staples here. Many people come here, many like me, whose father and grandfather drank tea here. It brings back memories. Tourists and dignitaries and writers all come here to sit and enjoy themselves. This shop is part of Erbil's folklore." TEA ON TABLE MAN DRINKING TEA MAN STIRRING TEA VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AT THE TEA SHOP TWO MEAN LEAVING TEA SHOP
- Embargoed: 6th February 2017 13:41
- Keywords: Iraq tea culture Kurdistan Erbil tea shop heritage history
- Location: ERBIL, IRAQ
- City: ERBIL, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA00160AV045
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: In a tiny cafe in Erbil, photographs of the city and its residents are plastered all over the walls - some old black and white pictures with yellowing edges, others more recent in vibrant colours.
The decades-old Mam Khalil tea shop has become a staple in the city in Iraq's Kurdistan region, documenting and celebrating Erbil's heritage.
The shop's founder Mam Khalil can be seen posing in many of the old photographs, often with famous patrons.
Located in a small side-street in the city's downtown Qaysaria market, the cafe is popular with both locals and tourists.
The teashop is now run by Mam Khalil's son, Mohammed Khalil, who took over after his father passed away in 2015.
"This was my father's shop, it is part of Erbil's heritage and my father's legacy. Erbil's history starts here. After the citadel, there is this tea shop. There are people whose great-grandfathers visited the shop, and now great-grandsons are coming to see this place, to see its history. Mam Khalil is like a museum," he said.
Mohammed said that photography was one of his father's life long passions, explaining the cafe's unusual decor.
"My father loved photographs ever since he was a child. He gathered all these photos to hang. He loved taking pictures as well, and collecting old photos. He loved old photos. He gathered all these photos and hung them on the wall," he said.
One of the pictures hanging on the wall is of Mam Khalil when he was young boy working as a tea vendor.
After many years of work, Khalil was finally able to save up enough money for his own tea shop, which opened in 1967.
Since then, the teashop has become a renowned haunt for locals, tourists and dignitaries alike.
Some famous visitors include Lebanon's Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, and former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, whose pictures are proudly displayed.
But many of the photographs show every day patrons, who loved the place as much as they loved its former owner.
"The Mam Khalil tea shop is in Erbil, in the Qaysaria market. This market dates back 175 years, and the tea shop is considered one of the cultural staples here. Many people come here, many like me, whose father and grandfather drank tea here. It brings back memories. Tourists and dignitaries and writers all come here to sit and enjoy themselves. This shop is part of Erbil's folklore," said Salwan Ghafour, a regular at the tea shop.
Mohammed Khalil said he hopes to continue protecting his father's legacy, and to one day pass on the teashop to his children, for the next generation of Erbil's tea-lovers. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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