العادات والتقاليد الأجتماعية في حمص ١٣_a .. كتاب حمص

The one whose door overlooks from the east the plain of Bab Al-Souq, which was located north of the buildings of the Grand Al-Nuri Mosque now. The Yahbi Agha Al-Tarjuman Café is located in Al-Hamidi, and the Al-Droubi Café is located north of the old clock, between Hama Street to the east and Omar Bin Al-Khattab Street to the west.

There were cafés specific to professions: such as the Tanning Coffee Shop, which was located on Al-Dabbagha Street at the eastern end of Bab Hood Street, which is now called Omar Al-Anasi Street, and the Soof Coffee Shop near the Bani (Qusoum) Mosque, meaning (Al-Qasimi). The Dalalin Café is in the south of Qamim Hammam al-Jadid, which was located west of the Great Al-Nuri Mosque, and the (Qubba) Café in the Goldsmiths’ Market, which is the small market that overlooks the Ottoman bath from the east and the end of the textile market from the west, and most of its occupants are silversmiths.

There was also a café (Al-Basatna) near the blacksmiths market in the fur market, and a café (Al-Zarabiliyah), meaning the makers of carpets, meaning the red and yellow carpets. The cafés were also distributed among the neighbourhoods. The Christians had their cafés in the neighborhoods in which they lived, such as the (Iskandar) coffee at Ras al-Muqaisla and the Christian coffee in Bani Farkouh Alley in the Bani Al-Sibai neighborhood, the (Christian) Coffee Shop also in the Jamal Al-Din neighborhood, and the (Khana) Coffee Shop in Ras Bustan Al-Diwan on the eastern side, and in the west of the country they had (the Al-Zahra Café) which turned into the (Prince) Café after World War II. Then to the cafe and restaurant (Toledo), or Toledo today. It was located on the southern bank of the Sakiyyat al-Balad, which passes near it from the north, and patrons reached it on a wooden bridge from that side.
In those cafés, patrons would spend the first hour of the night playing dice or backgammon, and smoking hookahs or rolling cigarettes. They would host each other with cigarette cans or with the same hookah. Returning the can or “trap” to the host was followed by principles, so the guest would roll The upper part of the tarbij, then he returns it to his host, saying, “Who is the palm of a layah,” and the host answers, “And from a brother who does not regret it.” As for gesticulating the cigarette box, Al-Didim would accompany it with the word “Daima,” and the host would answer him, “The health of Abu so-and-so.”

Some cafés used to change their monotony a bit when, during the long winter nights, they presented certain breaks from series programmes, especially in the month of Ramadan. The most famous of these breaks were Karkouz and Aywaz. The word has a Turkish origin and is pronounced (Qara-Guz), meaning black-eyed, and (Aywaz) means in In the Turkish language, “the servant” who carries food from the kitchen to the dining room) means the dining room.

The party would begin with playing musical instruments such as the oud, violin, darbuka, and some singing. This was done by a group of musicians and singers, who would take the lead in the café and sit on a high bar prepared for them. Next to them, on the corner of the wall, was a “karakoz” screen. After an intermission, the singing would end. My triggers start showing. Among the favorite characters that accompanied (Karakouz) were (Abuaz), (the spoiled one), and (the dancer). The show always ended with a critical knot until the viewers came the next night to watch the show. Al-Mushalati adds a lot of joy to the show when he changes his voice according to the character being presented. He imitates the voice of (Karkouz), the voice of (Abuaz), and the voice of (the dancer), and his success in this depended on his prowess in the performance. He also used to add more vitality when he used sexual insults that the audience enjoyed.

In some cafés, the novel Antara (or) Abu Zaid al-Hilali (or) King Saif (or) The War of Al-Basus) was recited, and it was presented by the storyteller who sat on a high chair and recited the story from a book in his hands, expressing with his face and the gestures of his hands his emotion at its events, and always interrupting it at a stop. It was embarrassing for the listeners to return the next day, eager to follow it. Antarah had his own supporters who revered and sanctified him, and it would excite them greatly when one of them insinuated his courage in front of them or defamed Abla. Often, some would tamper with them by cursing Antarah and Abla in front of them, and they often inflicted insults on those who dared to degrade them. The courage of Antar or Al-Sa and the harm to Abla’s honor! ! !

* Masks:

In addition to the cafes, there were qanaqs, the singular of which is (qanaq), which is originally a Turkish word that means. The distance traveled by the traveler in a day, then its meaning developed and became an indication of the place where the traveler spends the night, and in Arabic it is equivalent to the added, or the subtracted. Some heads of wealthy families used to designate a room in his house called “Qanaq” where friends, acquaintances, and notables would come and spend the evening. During these evenings, they would exchange conversations about their daily concerns, jokes, and news of the country and neighborhood.

It also solved the problems of some people, and the guests were served by one of the sons of the owner of the (hookah) or a person hired for this purpose. Bitter coffee, tea, and the hookah were only at the expense of the owner of the (hookah), while the (tanbak) of the hookah was on the guest who smoked it.

Among the contradictions mentioned in the documents of the era the subject of our study are: