History

Hookah History & Culture

A hookah (often glass-based) water pipe device is for smoking; originating in India, that has gained popularity, especially in the Arab world. A hookah operates by water-filtration and indirect heat. It can be used for smoking many substances, such as herbal fruits and tobacco.

Depending on locality, hookahs may be referred to by many other names (often of Arab, Indian, Turkish, Uzbek, or Persian origin). Arghile or Narghile is the name most commonly used in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Turkey, Albania,Greece, Israel, Bulgaria and Romania, though the initial "n" is often dropped in Arabic. "Narghile" is from the Persian word "nārgil" or "coconut". In Sanskrit nārikela, as the original, primitive hookahs were made out of coconut shells. Shisha is from the Persian word shishe, literally translated as glass and not bottle), and is primarily used for water pipes in Egypt and the Arab countries of the Gulf such as Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE (Dubai), and Saudi Arabia as well as Morocco, Tunisia, Somalia and Yemen. In Iran it is called ghalyun, ghalyān, ghalyan and in India and Pakistan it is referred to as huqqa.

The archaic form of this latter Indian name hookah is most commonly used in English for historical reasons, as it was in India that large numbers of English-speakers first sampled the effects of the water pipe. William Hickey wrote in his Memoirs that shortly after his arrival in Calcutta in 1775:

“The most highly-dressed and splendid hookah was prepared for me. I tried it, but did not like it. As after several trials I still found it disagreeable, I with much gravity requested to know whether it was indispensably necessary that I should become a smoker, which was answered with equal gravity, 'Undoubtedly it is, for you might as well be out of the world as out of the fashion. Here everybody uses a hookah, and it is impossible to get on without'.....[I] have frequently heard men declare they would much rather be deprived of their dinner than their hookah.”

CULTURE

Arab world In the Arab world, social smoking is done with a single or double hose. When the smoker is finished, either the hose is placed back on the table signifying that it is free, or it is handed from one user to the next, folded back on itself so that the mouthpiece does not point at the person receiving it. (Stories tell Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar thought of it as an insult if the mouthpiece pointed at the person, but there are no official facts.) Another tradition is that the receiver taps or slaps the giver on the back of the hand while taking it as a sign of respect or friendship.

In cafés and restaurants, however, it is rare for each smoker not to order an individual hookah, as the price is generally low, ranging from $2 to $10.

Most cafés A.K.A maqha in the Middle East have hookahs available. Cafés are very widespread, and are amongst the main social gathering places in the Arab world (similar to the status pubs have in the UK).

England

In England, as of 2007, Hookah cafes (sometimes known locally as "Shisha Bars") exist in most major cities. London's Edgware Road area is noted for a high distribution of shops which serve hookah, but there is at least one hookah place to be found in most cities in the south, including Canterbury, Portsmouth, Bristol, Salisbury, Exeter, and Plymouth. Until July of 2007, hookahs could be smoked inside any public place. But after smoking was banned inside public places by the government, hookahs are only allowed to be smoked outside. There are, however, a few exceptions to this. If the building has three areas of ventilation, such as two walls with windows and a roof with a skylight that can be opened, then it can be smoked inside. Because England has a somewhat rainy and cool climate, this can present a challenge to outdoor hookah smoking sessions.

United States and Canada

Recently many cities, states and countries have implemented smoking bans. In most jurisdictions, Hookah business can be exempted from the policies through special permits. Some permits however, have requirements such as the business earning a certain minimum percentage of their revenue from tobacco.

In some cases hookah bars have been forced to close or consider alternatives, such as offering non-tobacco based molasses. In many cities though, hookah lounges have been growing in popularity - particularly near college campuses or cities with large Middle-Eastern communities.