Coffee had reached Turkey by the year 1660. Coffee had become the favorite drink in the Arab world, all the way from Constantinople to Cairo and from Damascus to Mecca. There, the “Kaveh Kanes” (coffeehouses) were highly appreciated and flourishing.
The Governor of Mecca, spurred by the monks whose temples were empty, had been persuaded to prohibit the drinking of coffee and closing the coffeehouses.
The Governor had charged that coffee caused people to behave in a manner forbidden by religion, and the safest course was to judge it illegal. And so, the first indictment against coffee was drawn. The people of Mecca were forbidden to drink coffee and the coffeehouses were closed and the coffee beans in the warehouses were ordered burned. But a prompt and severe edict from the Caliph of Cairo reversed these orders.
“Coffee was enjoyed throughout the Arab world, and undoubtedly sampled by travelers from Europe long before it was introduced to the Continent”, narrates Professor Andres Uribe, in his book "Brown Gold", the amazing story of coffee.
Yours truly,
Mariano Ospina
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