70-year-old storyteller Abou shady (2nd R) plays with a child at Al-Nawfara cafe in Damascus, Syria, Feb. 25, 2012. Al-Nawfara, “The Fountain” in Arabic, is a charming cafe next to the eastern gate of the Umayyad Mosque and the entrance of Al-Qaymariya area in Damascus old city.
It is one of Syria’s oldest and most famous cafes that are usually filled with noisy chatter and music. The cafe serves shisha in various flavours as well as traditional drinks. However, the specialty of this cafe is the famous Damascene storyteller who shares his ancient tales in the evenings. <Photo: Xinhua/Qin Haishi>
