The Evolution of the Hookah

By Chris Eesley | contributing writer

When hearing the word "hookah", it is easy for one to imagine potheads dragging away on a water bong. A common misconception for many is that that the hookah is used solely for this purpose.

The reality is, in spite of a few exceptions, the majority of hookah users today use this appliance to smoke a dark tobacco of Persian origin. This tobacco contains only 0.5 percent nicotine per volume and is often referred to as shisha, or tombeik.

Surviving its negative stigma as a device used solely for smoking hashish and opium, the hookah has become a household device of culture, proliferating international borders in a globalizing international system.

While there is no official origin, many experienced hookah users and websites such as Hookahkings.com point to the current Indian provinces of Rajasthan and Gujarat as the original birthplace of the hookah, and would say that the hookah began its global odyssey approximately 500 to 600 years ago.

On a more interesting note, as SmokingHookah.com points out, the first hookah was probably fashioned out of a coconut shell, and its original design was most likely intended for smoking hashish and opium.

According to TheHookah.com, the hookah made its way into the Persian Empire where it acquired its infamous counterpart—Persian tobacco (called tombeik in Farsi). This tobacco is extremely strong and was usually rinsed off several times with water due to its potency.

The Persians also pioneered adding flavor to the tobacco by putting sour cherries, grapes, pomegranate juice and rose oil in the govde, the glass chamber filled with ice cold water on the bottom of a hookah.

By the 17th century the hookah had become popular in the Ottoman Empire. As TheHookah.com points out, "The nargile became a very important part of the coffee shop culture, finding its popularity in Turkey around the time of Murat the IV, 1623-40."

Rules and codes of conduct were created for the hookah, along with hookah cafés . For example, if an individual was in a café and dared to light the coal improperly, he or she may be banned from the site, if not shunned by society.

Eventually the hookah became a symbol of elitism and stature. The design of the hookah completed its evolution during the 17th century, reminiscent of the design that we find on the shelves of hookah vendors across the globe today.

According to TheHookah.com, the previously mentioned design consists of four primary pieces. Each piece was pioneered by Ottoman craftsmen specializing in their own tradecraft: the agizlik (mouthpiece), the lule (the ashtray and the coal-burning compartment), the marpuc (the tube horizontally extending from the glass chamber located at the bottom of the hookah to the lule) and the govde.

The lule was handcrafted in Tophane, a city located in the Ottoman Empire. The govde was produced in Beykoz, another Ottoman city.
TheHookah.com also points out that the govde was often made of silver and crystal, and imprinted with floral designs. The agizlik was often carved out of amber, as amber was viewed as being sanitary and clean.

By the 19th century, the hookah had become a household favorite as it proliferated into northern and eastern Africa, the Levant, the Arabian peninsula, and as far east as Mongolia.

In the Middle East during much of the 18th and 19th centuries cigarettes were also made more readily available and, according to HookahCompany.com, cigarettes were the preferred choice of men in this culture because they were usually out working and constrained by time.

Because of the conservative nature of Persian and Middle Eastern cultures, women were usually left at home to perform work around the house and to take care of their children. For this reason the hookah became a preferred means of relaxation for housewives, primarily because of the superiority of the hookah to the cigarette. Also it must be taken into consideration that the majority of the women living in this region during this particular time period were allotted more time to actually take part in hookah smoking.

For guest entertainment, the hookah and its liquid counterpart (usually coffee or tea) served as a means of political discussion and intellectual conversation.

While the hookah remains a pastime in the Middle East and southwest Asia, it is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. If you travel to Dearborn chances are you will find many Arabic restaurants that sell hookahs.

The Greenfield Café, a Lebanese restaurant off Greenfield Avenue sells hookahs for $13 apiece. They also sell flavored tobacco for $10 a box, and a package of charcoal for $1.

But before you jump out of your shoes to go buy a hookah, there are a few things that need to be taken into consideration.

According to HookahCulture.com, practicing the ancient customs of the hookah is undoubtedly critical and should not be defied under any circumstances. The author of the site explains, “With respect comes respect, and this process is initiated with the successful mastery of the shisha and social manners in the presence of other masters.

“When you have mastered the shisha and fully demonstrate the social manners associated with it, you may have confidence in enjoying the shisha anywhere in the world and in teaching others so that the proper etiquette is perpetuated.”

Vocabulary:
Nargile, narghile, argeelah, hubbly-bubbly, sheesha, shisha—terms synonymous with hookah
Sheesha, shisha, tombeik—a dark tobacco, usually flavored

Agizlik—the mouthpiece used for inhalation

Lule—the top of the hookah; the ashtray and the coal compartment

Govde—the glass chamber in the bottom of the hookah where water is stored

Marpuc—the tube extending from the govde at the bottom of the hookah up to the lule

The Levant - An area located in the Northwestern Saudi peninsula occupied by the states of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and an international zone of demarcation known as the Sinai Peninsula.

Interesting Facts

- According to Wendy Koch of USAToday, Thomas Eisenberg professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, said that "a hookah which is smoked for about 45 minutes delivers 36 times more tar than a cigarette, 15 times more carbon monoxide and 70 percent more nicotine."

- Koch also pointed out that "despite its rising popularity, hookah is running afoul of some anti-smoking laws, including the one enacted this month in Washington State. It bans smoking inside all public facilities and workplaces and outside within 25 feet of doors, windows and vents."

-According to USAToday, Washington, D.C. has approved an indoor smoking ban, but the hookah may remain exempt from this law. In hearing this news, Koch wrote,“Saudi diplomat Saud Albalawi said he is not happy that hookah may get a waiver. Because it's so readily available in the nation's capital, he's smoking every day. Before he came to the USA three months ago, he was planning to quit.”

Hookah Lounge etiquette
- Dress nicely.

- Keep the hookah on the floor for practical purposes.

- Hold the hose and mouthpiece with your right hand, as the left hand is viewed as being unclean in some cultures.

- When passing the mouthpiece, pass it with your right hand, and make sure the face of the mouthpiece is facing you. If the mouthpiece is facing the recipient, this can be viewed as a sign of disrespect.

- When lighting the coal, hold it in midair with the tongs. It should spark for a few seconds. After the coal has finished sparking place it back down on top of the tobacco.

- If there is a multiple-hose hookah, the individuals who are not presently smoking should plug the ends of their mouthpieces with a finger. This way, those smoking the hookah don't suck in air.

- Every now and then, remove the coal from the top of the hookah and tap it down a few times on the ashtray. Place it on top of the aluminum separating the coal from the tobacco in a different spot relative to where it sat before.

-Don't smoke cigarettes in a hookah café unless ashtrays are provided.

- Don't light cigarettes on the coal.

- Don't ash cigarettes in the coal tray.

- Don't blow smoke in anyone's face.

When finished with the hookah, wrap the hose around the marpuc, the metal stem.