Said Abdullah Mohammed prepares tea inside his 200-year-old teahouse in Kirkuk’s Jout Qawa market, which has never been renovated and still features its original curved ceiling. Photo by 964media.
Kirkuk’s 200-year-old Said’s Teahouse stands as a living piece of city history
KIRKUK — In the heart of Kirkuk’s Jout Qawa market stands Said’s Teahouse, one of the city’s oldest and best-preserved gathering spots, with a history that its owner says stretches back around two centuries. The teahouse has never been renovated, and its curved ceiling retains the distinctive features of old Kirkuk architecture.
Owner Said Abdullah Mohammed told 964media that the teahouse has been in his family for generations. “Before me, three generations managed this teahouse, and all of them have passed away. I am the last one, and I have been working here for 25 years,” he said.
With a smile, he added, “The angel of death is close to me now — I’m 78 years old.”
Mohammed said the teahouse was once a hub of daily life in the market. “I used to have apprentices, and the market was always full of customers. There were no malls or other markets back then,” he said. “Now the bazaar is quiet, and I work alone because income is low while rent is high — 200,000 dinars ($143) a month.”
He described the teahouse as a place that has long brought together Kirkuk’s diverse communities. “Besides Arabs and Turkmen, even Jews have come here to drink tea,” he said.
Mohammed also keeps a personal archive of photographs documenting the teahouse’s history. “I keep taking new old-style pictures, frame them, and hang them,” he said. “But for the past few years, there has been no space left to display them, so I’ve had to keep them at home.”
Though business has slowed and the market around him has changed, Mohammed continues to open his doors daily, preserving not only a family legacy but also a piece of Kirkuk’s living heritage.