فِي مَعْرِضِ «إِكْسْبُو ٢٠٢٠» فِي دُبَيَّ، كَانَتْ عِنْدَ بَابِ أَحَدِ الْأَجْنِحَةِ دَلَّةٌ غَرِيبَةٌ: تُحَضِّرُ الْقَهْوَةَ وَحْدَهَا. وَ«إِكْسْبُو» مَعْرِضٌ كَبِيرٌ، تُشَارِكُ فِيهِ دُوَلٌ كَثِيرَةٌ مِنَ الْعَالَمِ. وَهَذِهِ الدَّلَّةُ فِي الْحَقِيقَةِ اخْتِرَاعٌ جَدِيدٌ: جِهَازٌ كَهْرَبَائِيٌّ يُحَضِّرُ الْقَهْوَةَ الْعَرَبِيَّةَ. صَنَعَهُ مُخْتَرِعٌ سُعُودِيٌّ اسْمُهُ مَنْصُورُ آلُ دَاوُدَ. شَكْلُ الْجِهَازِ مِثْلُ الدَّلَّةِ. وَالدَّلَّةُ إِبْرِيقٌ تَقْلِيدِيٌّ لِلْقَهْوَةِ فِي الْخَلِيجِ. لَهَا رَقَبَةٌ طَوِيلَةٌ، وَفَمٌ طَوِيلٌ مِثْلُ الْمِنْقَارِ، وَغِطَاءٌ صَغِيرٌ. وَلَوْنُهَا فِي الْعَادَةِ ذَهَبِيٌّ أَوْ فِضِّيٌّ. فَمَنْ يَرَى الْجِهَازَ يَظُنُّ أَنَّهُ دَلَّةٌ عَادِيَّةٌ. فَمَا الْفَرْقُ بَيْنَهُمَا؟ الدَّلَّةُ الْعَادِيَّةُ تَحْتَاجُ إِلَى شَخْصٍ يُحَضِّرُ الْقَهْوَةَ بِيَدِهِ. أَمَّا هَذَا الْجِهَازُ، فَيُحَضِّرُ الْقَهْوَةَ وَحْدَهُ، بِطَرِيقَةٍ آلِيَّةٍ. صَمَّمَ مَنْصُورٌ الْجِهَازَ عَلَى شَكْلِ الدَّلَّةِ، لِأَنَّهُ أَرَادَ أَنْ يُحَافِظَ عَلَى التُّرَاثِ السُّعُودِيِّ فِي تَقْدِيمِ الْقَهْوَةِ. فَالْقَهْوَةُ عِنْدَ الْعَرَبِ عَلَامَةُ الْكَرَمِ وَالضِّيَافَةِ. وَالْقَهْوَةُ الْعَرَبِيَّةُ فِي الْخَلِيجِ فِيهَا بُنٌّ وَبَهَارَاتٌ، مِثْلُ الْهَيْلِ وَالْقَرَنْفُلِ. وَفِي الْخَلِيجِ، يُقَدِّمُ النَّاسُ الْقَهْوَةَ لِلضُّيُوفِ فِي فَنَاجِينَ صَغِيرَةٍ. وَكَانَ الْجِهَازُ عِنْدَ بَابِ الْجَنَاحِ، لِيُقَدِّمَ الْقَهْوَةَ لِلزُّوَّارِ، وَيُعَرِّفَهُمْ بِهَذِهِ الْعَادَةِ. فَكَانَ الزَّائِرُ يَأْخُذُ فِنْجَانًا صَغِيرًا، وَيَشْرَبُ قَهْوَةً عَرَبِيَّةً فِيهَا رَائِحَةُ الْهَيْلِ.
At “Expo 2020” in Dubai, at the door of one of the pavilions, there was a strange dallah: it made coffee by itself. “Expo” is a big exhibition in which many countries from around the world take part. This dallah is in fact a new invention: an electric device that makes Arabic coffee. It was made by a Saudi inventor called Mansour Al Dawood. The device is shaped like a dallah. A dallah is a traditional coffee pot in the Gulf. It has a long neck, a long spout like a beak, and a small lid. Its colour is usually gold or silver. So anyone who sees the device thinks it is an ordinary dallah. So what is the difference between them? An ordinary dallah needs a person to make the coffee by hand. But this device makes the coffee by itself, automatically. Mansour designed the device in the shape of a dallah because he wanted to keep the Saudi tradition of serving coffee. For Arabs, coffee is a sign of generosity and hospitality. Arabic coffee in the Gulf has coffee and spices in it, such as car