The emerging popularity of coffee houses (“Kaveh Kanes”) in Mecca and Constantinople began to rewrite the rules of society in the 15th and 16th centuries. Previously, the lower class would hang out in dark taverns and become drunk and rowdy, but this did not threaten the social order. On the other hand, the coffee houses were bright, lively hubs of activity, where news, philosophy and poetry could be exchanged over a strong brew or slow game of backgammon. For the price of a cup of coffee, a peasant could sit at the same table as an aristocrat and engage with the topic of the day. Coffee houses became known as “Schools of the Wise” — in contrast to the taverns, their patrons stayed sharp, engaged and became increasingly critical of government corruption. This was a novel development that terrified the ruling Sultans. In the 16th century, Sultan Murad IV tried to ban the sale of coffee and close down the Kaveh Kanes, imposing the death penalty for public coffee consumption in the capital, Istanbul. However, some coffee houses bribed the police and continued their business from back doors and side alleys. Nevertheless, the visibility of the Kaveh Kanes was subdued for more than a decade after Murad IV’s death, until the Sultans realised they would be unable to stifle the crowd’s demand for coffee. Just imagine how banning coffee would go down today!
Read more: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/was-coffee-ever-illegal
