Al-Kamal Café

Al-Kamal is the café of the unshowy side of Damascus. Its history reaches back to the Mandate years, and the political and literary life of the 1940s-60s sat at its tables; Maarouf al-Arnaout wrote his novel Sayyid Quraysh here. Its nickname is the paupers’ café and it wears it with pride: the price list is the cheapest in the city, and the regulars run from pensioners to journalists. The bond between waiters and customers gets described as family — observation, not exaggeration.

Getting there

In the centre, on Al-Mutanabbi Street, in the row between the Kindi Cinema and the school building. A few minutes’ walk from Salhiyah.

What to drink

Strong “shay khamir” — long-steeped Damascus tea — and Arabic coffee. Nargileh and backgammon tables are part of the daily order. There is an open summer section and a closed winter hall; on a summer evening, sit outside.

When to go

Daytime belongs to the retired regulars, late afternoon to the young. Come in the evening for the crowd and the noise; after midday if you want to eavesdrop on the conversation.