The drinking of morning coffee is an age-old ritual here, with which—along with prayers—Muslims begin their day. The bell of the coffee seller, who each day at dawn walks up and down the streets of his district, is their traditional alarm clock. They jump up and wait in front of their houses, until the man bearing the fresh, strong, aromatic brew appears. The morning’s first cup is an occasion of greetings and salutations, of mutual assurances that the night passed happily,
