Sharjah24 – AFP: Baghdad's famed coffee shops continue to welcome its customers who enjoy spending beautiful times through drinking Iraqi tea “Chai Al-Iraqi” that was associated with the Iraqi heritage, becoming part of the life of Iraqi families, that provides them with an exceptional atmosphere, as the Iraqi society tries to preserve its heritage through these places that remind Iraqis with the old days in Baghdad. "Tea is linked to memories": Iraqis residing in the capital Baghdad believe that cafes are "the meeting places".

Commenting on this, Alaa Qahtan, theater director, "Coffee shops have always been the place to go for the Iraqis. In times of war, people used to go to the coffee shop to play dominoes and backgammon and drink tea. Therefore, I believe that tea is linked to Iraqi memories and the tea culture is stronger and more important than the coffee culture. For Iraqis, we drink tea in the morning and evening and even before bed."

He added, "In other cafés, there is a greater presence of women, but this place is considered popular, and in this café there is a mixture where you might find a baker, a professor, or a poor person, people with diverse cultures."