Neither coffee nor shisha originated in Persia. But it was Persian culture that transformed them into the social rituals we love and practice today. The Persians did what they were known to do best: slow down daily habits into lingering rituals.
By the 16th century, Persian qahveh-khāneh transformed from places to caffeinate into social hubs where people would gather and spend hours talking about philosophy and art. They were third spaces, where people gathered outside of work and home. And they filled a gap, too: a public space where people could come as they are. Eventually, hookah entered the scene. And though you may think that your iced caramel latte and Love66 have nothing in common, Persians realised coffee and hookah shared a key similarity: they both took time. Coffee was meant to be brewed slowly, while shisha needed time to be prepared and passed around. Both demanded patience in return for creating a feeling of presence, teaching people to linger.
A history of lingering
When people lingered, they started conversations more, which eventually turned to connections. And over time, these spaces became the places to go for storytelling and debate. This culture of slowing down and socialisation eventually spread across trade routes and the Ottoman world, becoming a staple of the region. Dubai, in particular, absorbed this rhythm of lingering early on. Long before it became a global city, Dubai was shaped by Persian traders and migrants who settled along the Gulf. Trading involved a lot of waiting — on tides, shipments, and negotiations. So social life adapted around extended gathering and unhurried conversation.
Those habits folded naturally into the Gulf majlis, normalising long conversations. The expectation was that guests were meant to stay, not rush off. When coffeehouses eventually appeared, they followed those same rules: coffee was meant to be anchored with conversations and gathering. Now, more than 500 years later, it’s the reason you have somewhere to go to see your friends (and the crush you noticed is there every Wednesday).
A place to yap
Elvina frequents coffee shops with her friends, and it isn’t an in-and-out experience. She’ll usually stay for hours talking with friends. And because this is so normal, employees don’t rush them out the door or pressure them to spend more money. “Especially with the Dubai heat, there’s not much to do, so people find going to cafes a good option, solo, or with friends,” says Elivina Islam, a Bangladeshi and Azarbaijani business administration student based in Dubai.
Ghita Elharti, 27, an investment banker and native Moroccan, says she and her friends go to coffee shops to get work done, but usually end up yapping about everything and anything.
“We get to express our ideas, have meaningful and deep conversations, and feel surrounded and connected,” says Ghita. “While the coffee is usually delicious, it’s more about giving your hands something to do while you chat with the people around you.”
Keeping the culture alive
Hookah lounges serve a similar purpose, but they aren’t always considered an “appropriate” place for women. Thanks to gender norms that seem to have persisted since the 16th century, women smoking hookah publicly is still somewhat of a taboo in some regions. Morocco, Ghita says, is one of these places. But some cities like Dubai are less traditional in this sense. Elvina says that hookah lounges are just as common for gatherings as coffee shops in Dubai — though she, herself, doesn’t frequent them. Cafes work just fine for her when she’s looking for a place to hang out casually with friends.
While social connections seem to be at risk all over the world (thanks, AI and global affordability crisis), there’s some relief to be felt when you think of how much coffee shops and hookah lounges have lived through.
When you’re sitting at the corner cafe gossiping with friends, you’re doing more than just talking shit about your frenemy’s latest Instagram post, you’re actually keeping the culture alive. And honestly, the rest of the world should take a page out of the Persians’ book. Maybe the “third space” wouldn’t be so endangered in other parts of the world if people took the time to enjoy things and, of course, linger. Take your time, build connections, and become a regular at a local cafe. But the first step? Stop taking that coffee to-go.