West Bank cafe transports customers to Damascus
The Demashq cafe in the West Bank city of Jenin mimics the architecture and atmosphere of a traditional Damascus cafe, taking customers back to the days of a peaceful Syria.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — At the entrance of the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank, a sign with the name “Demashq” (Damascus) is placed atop an abandoned house dating back to 1929. Palestinian artist Ghassan al-Sadi from the city of Jenin started renovating the house in February 2015 and has turned it into a Damascus-style cafe.
Sadi told Al-Monitor that he supervised the hiring of all the staff before opening the cafe on March 28, 2015, which has now become a replica of an ancient house and cafe in Damascus. The cafe is mostly known for its courtyard, which has a Damascus-style fountain, surrounded by dozens of small trees and ornamental plants, roses hanging from the walls and arches designed by Sadi to mimic the architectural design of a cafe in Damascus.
