Waterpipe cigarette, known as Hookah in English and Nargila or Argile in Arabic, is a tobacco product that is smoked by filtering water (or other liquids). Shisha is popular in Türkiye, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and other countries on the east bank of the Mediterranean Sea, as well as Jordan and the Gulf region. The use of hookah devices allows smokers to smoke tobacco mixed with sweeteners such as dried fruits, molasses, honey, or spices, allowing them to freely decide the taste of their hookah. Meanwhile, because hookah requires heating with charcoal, the various flavors in the smoke can be maximized. There are different opinions about the origin of shisha, and India, Iran, Türkiye, Egypt, Syria and other regions may be its birthplace.
The hookah has a unique flavor and exquisite utensils
Hookah has been popular in South Asia and the Middle East for a long time, and at that time, smoking hookah was a cultural activity loved by wealthy upper class society and intellectual elites. On a personal level, smoking hookah can bring joy and relieve stress. From a social perspective, it can bring in relationships between people. Traditional hookah smoking is a sharing style, where everyone sits around the hookah at will, and the mouthpiece is slowly passed from one person to another. Friends, family, and even business partners can gather together to smoke hookahs. Therefore, hookah has become a link between people, playing a role in soothing the atmosphere and promoting communication.
Smoking a hookah and chatting is a popular social way among Middle Easterners
Modern style hookahs can be traced back to India in the 16th century. At that time, water bottles were made of glass, and water was added to the glass base (known as the "bottle") to purify the smoke. In the 17th century, shisha became a part of Türkiye's culture (Nargila in Turkish), and it was a symbol of status: royal dinners and diplomatic conferences would provide shisha for people. Providing hookahs to guests signifies the host's enthusiasm and trust, and if guests refuse, it will be considered disrespectful to the host.
As a leisure activity, hookah has been integrated into the coffee shop culture in Türkiye and spread widely. When coffee shops first introduced hookahs, the waiters were highly praised for their skilled smoking techniques. Nowadays, people sit for hours in coffee shops, discussing current affairs and politics while drinking coffee and smoking hookahs to relax their bodies and minds.
In the 17th century, hookah entered Persian culture. Persian hookah uses rich dark colored Persian Ajami tobacco leaves, and hookah craftsmen also pay more attention to aesthetics, redefining the appearance of the mouthpiece and bottle with various decorative methods. During this period, smoking became a daily activity that everyone could enjoy.
The Persian women who smoked water smoke subsequently developed a new profession called "charcoal man". In coffee shops that offer hookahs, we often see several waiters carrying metal baskets filled with hot charcoal shuttling between customers. The charcoal of hookah will gradually cool down after a period of time, and its heating function will gradually weaken, so someone needs to constantly add new charcoal to the smoking bowl. At this point, what tests the charcoal additive is not only their ability to accurately extract cold wood charcoal and add new charcoal, but also their ability to help customers test the water vapor again, making it burn brightly again
The custom of smoking hookah continued to spread throughout the Middle East in the 19th and 20th centuries, gradually spreading to Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan. By the end of the 20th century, hookah had spread across various continents. Immigrants from the Middle East have brought this custom to every corner of the world, sharing their culture with the world. The reason why hookah is very popular is because it originates from traditional Eastern culture, and for many people, it is a way to experience exotic customs. However, not everyone is familiar with hookah, and its history can arouse people's curiosity and spark dialogue between different cultural groups.
Just as over a hundred years ago, hookah is still a way of respecting and entertaining guests today. Family, relatives, new and old friends will still deepen their relationships through this intergenerational tradition during gatherings. Smoking hookah is a cultural expression that brings together people from different social classes, holding different religious beliefs and political views.
Nowadays, hookah has become popular worldwide. Whether in big cities or suburbs, there are generally cafes and bars that serve hookahs. Water cigarette supply stores are also spread all over the world, and in the Middle East, there are even water cigarette delivery services.
Why is hookah culture enduring and still popular among young people in the Middle East? One important reason is that compared to the dynamic rhythm of nightclubs and the noise of bars, hookah cafes often have a more comfortable atmosphere and relaxed environment. Some young people enjoy nightlife but are unable or unwilling to go to places that offer alcohol due to religious reasons, so hookah cafes have become their best choice.
For women in the Middle East, smoking cigarettes is still not widely accepted (even in more westernized Lebanon, where more traditional parents still do not support their daughters smoking), but smoking hookah can be seen as a turning point between women's self entertainment needs and societal expectations. The tolerance of society towards women smoking hookah is much greater than smoking cigarettes.