by Lynn Mason

Created on: August 07, 2009

Tea is steeped in rich history and culture in the Middle East. Throughout its history, the Middle East, the region that spans southwestern Asia, northwestern Europe, and northeastern Africa, has been a major center of world cultural, economic, and religious affairs. Tea arrived in the area some 1200 years ago and has become a fundamental part of social culture.

Tea is a focal point for social gatherings and ceremonies in many Arab cultures. Proper etiquette in Egypt, Iraq, Iran and numerous other Middle Eastern countries dictates that guests of the household are offered tea. Tea is aptly nicknamed 'duty' in these areas for this reason.

Tea is reputed to have been discovered in China some 5000 years ago. Tea first arrived in Middle Eastern trade via the Silk Road in about 800 A.D. and became an integral part of culture. Trade routes were developed in these areas to acquire horses for the Han Dynasty which reached form China to the Arabian Sea.

Tea was used mainly as a medicine at this point and it became a valuable commodity for Turkish traders. The mystical art of reading tea leaves traces its origin back to this time in the Middle East and Orient. Tea was carried by camel caravans to many regions of Asia and each region developed its own traditions and social practice for the consumption and production of tea.

Ancient writings and tales show Japan and China brought tea for trade to the Arab countries in the eighth century but it was not until the nineteenth century that interest peaked.

At this point tea production in India began to soar due in large part to the mechanization of plantations. British plantation owners began to fear a surplus at this point and began to search for new markets. The beverage was introduced to Arab nations. The Arabs embraced tea wholeheartedly and it became the national drink. Arab nations comprise half of the list of the top twenty nations that consume the most tea. Currently, Turkey has the fourth largest per capita consumption in the world after Ireland, the UK and Kuwait.

Persia (Iran) was a coffee drinking country until around the fifteenth century. Coffee was difficult to procure as shipping routes were unreliable and difficult. Tea was easier to find from trade on the Silk Road and tea became popular in Persia.

As the demand for tea grew Iran tried to grow its own. The first attempt at cultivation in the 1880s with tea seeds from India failed. In the 1890s, more than 3000 tea tree saplings were imported from India and cultivation began in earnest. The climate is well suited for tea cultivation and the industry quickly spread.Today, tea is grown in Turkey and over thirty other Middle Eastern countries including Iraq and Iran.

Tea houses - called chahanas, chayhona , or shayhana -were established in many countries in the sixteenth century including Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. These institutions are an important part of social culture in the Middle East. Alcohol is forbidden in many Middle Eastern religions and the tea houses fulfill the social role typically fulfilled by taverns in western cultures. In some areas chahanas can be found on every block. Tea houses serve as gathering spots for men to meet, drink tea or coffee, talk, and play games.

Sources: accessed August 7, 2009

http://www.o-cha.net/english/teacha/detail_e.asp?id= 182

http://www.tearoomchronicles.com/tea-history-of-midd le-east.html

http://www.newageinfo.com/history-reading-tea-leaves .htm

Learn more about this author, Lynn Mason.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.