Will Bowen | Downtown News

There is a little oasis out along the hectic emptiness of Midway Drive heading toward the Sports Arena. It’s called Fairouz Cafe and in the cool interior you can savor the most exquisitely spiced Greek and Lebanese food – the kind of food that lights up your tongue and your sense of taste ­– while listening to the relaxing sounds Mideastern flamenco guitar and contemplating the Byzantine-influenced art that lines the walls. Altogether, it is a rare, wonderful, and satisfying spiritual and sensual experience.

It was the Muses that directed owner/artist Ibrahim Al Nashashibi (awl-nash-ash-she-bee) to turn from a lucarative career as an international lawyer and become an artist and restaurateur. The Muses guide his artwork and are the subject of a series of paintings that began in 1993 when his first Muse painting was installed at the United Nations building in New York City.

“I was born and raised in the holy city of Jerusalem between the fifth and sixth Stations of the Cross, along Via De las Rosas where Jesus walked,” Al Nashashibi told me. “When I was 10 years old I read a book of Greek mythology that described the Nine Greek Muses, who were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. It was very inspiring to me and it helped me understand how ideas get into our minds. The Muses bring them to us. I thought, we don’t have Muses here in Jerusalem but we need them.”

Thirty-three years later, Al Nashashibi said the idea of the Muses came back to him, and he painted his first painting. It was called “The Muses of Jerusalem,” and he painted it for an exhibition at the United Nations in New York City. Since then, he’s done several more.

“I decided on having seven Muses instead of the nine from Greek mythology because there are seven gates to Jerusalem,” he said. “So far, I have only been inspired to know three of the seven Muses … and the mother of the Muses, but I am awaiting further inspiration.”

Al Nashashibi’s Muses are portrayed as tall, slender, faceless young women, wearing colorful floral-patterned folk dance-style long skirts and a veil over their hair. They seem to depict or invoke some deep spiritual mystery, perhaps out of the Sufi zhikr tradition of song and dance.

“I draw my female Muses without faces. This is to indicate that although we may look different on the outside, on the inside we are all the same,” Al Nashashibi said.

“The first muse I call ‘Diligence.’ Her name is Samira, which was my mother’s name. Samira stands for hard work, sticking to things, and seeing them through. For instance, my mother created all the recipes for my restaurant.”

“The second Muse that has been revealed to me is ‘Benevolence,’ whom I call, Sahar, after my sister-in-law. Benevolence is the force that induces us to care for and help others. This is a very important quality that we all should develop,” he said.

“The third muse that has been revealed to me, I call ‘Elegance’. Her name is Hafida, after my wife, who is now deceased. This refers to the elegance inside of us all ­– to the riches of your inner world.

“The mother of all seven muses, I call Suria, after my aunt. When I was a boy I was very timid. My aunt asked me, ‘Why don’t you go out and play?’ I said, ‘I am afraid that I will die if I do.’ She said, ‘Don’t be afraid, because if you do something good for humanity or make a contribution to mankind, they will put you in history and you will live forever.’”

His aunt’s influence on that day made him realize he was born to do good for others and to be a part of the community.

“I am still waiting for the fourth through seventh Muses to reveal themselves to me,” he said. “I am still working on it. It is not under my control. They come to me by themselves, when they see fit.”

Although a very spiritual person, Al Nashashibi does not follow any organized religion. He said he believes in past lives and how they influence the living, and he feels a separation between the spiritual and the materialistic.

“I think that those who are spiritual belong to the same family,” he said. “Those that are materialistic belong to a different family.”

“I [also] think that it is important that we go inside and explore ourselves. Everyday I discover myself anew. Inside of us we have a lot of secrets. The Muses help you discover them. It is like you are in a coma and are guided by the light. The Muses will show up and light your way. Their purpose is to enlighten people’s paths.”

Bill Herrick is a longtime patron of Fairouz Cafe and of Al Nashashibi’s art.

“I have been coming here to the Cafe for 28 years. I feel peaceful here. It is like you are not alone but feel brotherhood. I have bought several pieces of Al Nashashibi’s art, so I can take this feeling home and have it in my house.”

To talk to Al Nashashibi and see his art, visit his cafe at 3360 Midway Dr., which he calls, “A part of the universal language of peace.” On Fridays, you can find him painting in Studio 30 in Spanish Village in Balboa Park, from 11-4 p.m. All are welcome.

If you find yourself in either place, perhaps you will contemplate Alnashashibi’s statement:  “Nothing happens by accident, there is a reason for everything.”

Will Bowen writes about art. He can be reached at [email protected].