Muscat: Nizwa has a long history and it is one of the most beautiful wilayats in the Sultanate of Oman, and it was named the capital of Islamic culture by ISESCO in 2015. Haret Al-Aqer is one of the most prominent historical places in the wilayat, through which the Omani youth seek to turn it into a tourist area stemming from the ancient Omani heritage.
One of these efforts is Anat Café which is one of the projects developed in Haret Al-Aqr, which is located inside the oldest archaeological gate in Haret Al-Aqr, Bab Sabah Abi Moather, whose age is estimated to be more than 1,200 years.
Speaking exclusively to the Times of Oman, Suleiman Al-Sulaimani, the owner of one of projects at Nizwa Suq, “The idea of the project in Al-Aqar neighbourhood was with the heritage inn projects, which is to use the old houses in the neighborhood to restore them as a whole and to be a tourist-equipped neighborhood. New and innovative ideas of projects that attracts and serves the tourist or the guest, and the idea of the café came within one of the services required by the tourist, which must be present.”
“We started the project by preparing Souq al-Aqr, restoring the door, which is about more than 1,200 years old, in addition to a room that was used to grind millstones directly adjacent to the site. The opening of an Anat Café by human resources capable of preparing coffee from Omani youth, and the opening was a month ago, and it achieved great popularity and wide fame,” he added.
Concerning the challenges facing Anat Café, Al-Sulaimani said, “Given that the location of the café is in this ancient historical place, we must inform the tourist of its location and sense the greatness of the place in which it is located, which is an opportunity to introduce the tourist to the Haret Al-Aqr and its history. It is not possible to make any additions it does not fit with this place and the need to preserve its heritage character, the second challenge is the lack of space for parking close to the cafe, but the challenge was dealt with that the tourists come walking to the cafe, and given the aesthetic of the place, it is worth taking a walking tour.”
What distinguishes the café is the difference in the place to drink coffee, with its picturesque nature and the aesthetics of the mud walls that make you feel relaxed and calm, and these are requirements for drinking coffee.
The message of Cafe Anat is in defining the history of Nizwa and the Haret Al-Aqar, precisely because Nizwa has become one of the most frequented wilayats for tourists from different countries of the world, and the Inat Cafe gives the tourist the opportunity to get the knowledge about Al-Aqar by drinking one of the most delicious types of coffee.
