The Tahtib – An Embarrassing FYI

I purchase light-weight bamboo canes for my daughter every now and then as she loves to play with them. Some of them are quite decorative, others are plain Jane, like this one here.

 

 Sometimes we’ll tie shoestrings to the ends and pretend that we’re on a fishing trip, blow up balloons and play a game of “Don’t Let the Balloon Touch the Ground,” or we’ll play a game of “Whoop the Softball” (our version of hockey). If my daughter gets too excited, she’ll swing the cane in every direction and our game of “Whoop the Softball” accidentally turns into a game of “Whoop the Mommy.” – Lookout, duck, ouch! If I have enough energy left, we’ll duel it out in an imaginary sword fight. The canes don’t always survive our horseplay hence my multiple purchases.

 

I did not have an inkling regarding these canes -until now - and despite the fact that I wanted to ask a shopkeeper about them a long time ago, I never inquired. I do remember seeing an African woman at a local masjid keeping the children in check while their mothers prayed by waving a similar cane at them.

 

Oh the ignorance….

 

One night while running errands, I purchased yet another cane to keep my daughter occupied and out of trouble. She handed me the cane and after some time I noticed that people were staring at me…hmmmm?

 

Oh the ignorance….

 

I entered my favorite herb store. The shopkeeper looked at me and gasped (eyes and mouth wide open). Ok, I’m nervous now. I’ve been shopping at this particular store for the past 3 years and by Allaah’s Mercy have generated business for them and myself, so we’re more like associates.. so why is he looking at me like that? Here’s our conversation:

 

Shopkeeper: Umm Su’aad! Why do you have that stick?!

 

Silly Me: Oh, (gulp)…what’s it used for?

 

Shopkeeper: It’s used for beating and some women (professional “dancers”) use it while entertaining men.

 

Silly Me to Myself: OOOOOH MYYYYY GOD! I can’t believe that I walked around for an hour holding this stick. I’m soooo embarrassed! The men that were staring at me must think that I’m A DANCER. Ooooohhh God I can’t breathe! They must think that I was “advertising my services.” Ok Haneefah, pull yourself together…take a deep breath.

 

Silly Me to the Shopkeeper: Oh? Well…(gulp)…I buy these things for Su’aad. She loves to play with them – that’s all. I did not know that they were used for beating and dancing.

 

Shopkeeper: Oh.

 

Silly Me to Myself: I will never, ever purchase these canes again!

 

I Googled the keywords “Bedouin stick” and came across this…

“Egyptian men have always carried a long staff for herding, walking and protection. Their dance, called ‘tahtib’ is a mock battle set to music. The men strut and posture showing off their strength, then attack and parry in time with the music. The women’s version of the dance is all about femininity. They make the movements cute and flirty and omit the fighting. The women flaunt effortless control of their much smaller stick or crooked cane. They use it unabashedly as a frame for the body movements. Some of the women’s movements echo the ‘tahtib’ and sometimes the men imitate the woman’s style.”

 

Other web sites state that belly dancers perform the feminine, flirtatious version of the “war dance” that’s usually performed by men using much bigger, heavier sticks or swords. Bedouin men from several different countries all have their own version of the “war dance.”

  

I hope my ordeal saves someone else from sheer and utter embarrassment.

  

Haneefah :)

The Discovery of Arabian Qahwah

The preparation, serving and drinking of qahwah, aka gahwa (Arabian coffee) are each individual rituals derived from Bedouin hospitality, traditions that are still bound today by the same ceremony and etiquette which have ruled for centuries.

According to legend, coffee-drinking began in Arabia almost 12 centuries ago when a goat herder named Khaalid noticed that while the afternoon sun made him drowsy, his flock frolicked and gambolled after nibbling at the berries of a certain evergreen bush. The ingenious Khaalid ground and boiled the agreeable berries and so invented a phenomenon that has worked its way into the marrow of everyday life.

The gahwa ritual starts when the host places a set of four coffee pots, called della, next to an open fire. He pours the coffee beans onto a mahmasa, a shallow, long-handled iron pan which he holds just above the flames. He stirs the roasting beans from time to time with a yad al mahmasa, which is attached by a chain to the small pan. When the beans are cooked they are left to cool before being pulverized with a pestle in a mortar called mahbash. When pounding the beans it is necessary to strike the side of the mortar occasionally with the pestle to free the grounds from sticking together. 

The largest della contains the coffee grounds from previous days, so water is poured into the second largest pot, to which the freshly ground coffee is added and then boiled over the fire. Meanwhile, the host pounds the cardamom seeds, and sometimes a pinch of saffron, in the mahbash. These spices go into the third della which is then filled with the freshly brewed coffee from the second pot and brought to the boil again. Finally the gahwa is poured into the fourth and smallest pot ready to serve.

It is always the host’s privilege to serve his guests, although a servant may assist by holding the tray of small, china cups without handles. He may pour himself a small cup first in order to taste it, but strict rules of etiquette are observed in the serving order. When only men are present, the most important person in the room is served first. Age takes precedence if there is some doubt as to rank. Until a few years ago men were always served before women, but today that custom is often reversed, particularly if Westerners are among the guests.

The cups are only half filled, but guests may have several refills. It is polite to accept an odd number of cups — one, three or five. When the guest has finished he should jiggle the empty cup from side to side, indicating to the host that he has had enough. To refuse the first round is considered not only bad manners but also an insult to the host.

Gahwa is never sweetened with sugar. Instead, fresh dates are offered as the standard accompaniment to the aromatic brew. The papery-skinned fingers of fruit contain 55% natural sugar which refresh and sweeten the palate between each sip of gahwa.

The proportions of coffee and cardamom in recipes for making gahwa varies considerably from region to region. To be served a cup of this unique beverage is more than just refreshment, it is unfailing proof that the guest is still revered and honored in Saudi Arabia. In offering a cup of gahwa the host is saying Ahlan wa Sahlan, welcome.

Photos by iStock Photos, WikiPedia (royalty free compliments of contributor Aras) and the Nut Factory respecitively.
Article: Saudi Info Com

Desert Photos: Handaqooq Tea

Shaay Handaqooq

(aka Shaahee Handagug)

Interesting looking brew.

More photos… 

The Three Arabias

The Three Arabias referred to in the map’s title are Arabia Petraea, the northwestern area encompassing the Sinai Peninsula and Jordan, Arabia Deserta, the northernmost area just south of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and Arabia Felix, by far the largest territory covering most of the peninsula and extending from the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in the northwest to the coasts of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman.

 

Full description…

Map of Ancient ‘Arabia

 

Source: World Digital Library

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