The body, or govde, of a hookah pipe consists of a curved vessel which holds water. A graceful stem rises from the body and at the top of the stem is a bowl, or lle, which holds the tobacco. From one to several flexible hoses, the marpuc, with a mouthpiece, or agizlik, at the end, are used to draw the hookah smoke down through the water. The hookah tobacco is heated by charcoal and the water filters and cools the smoke. The water gurgles gently, like a woodland stream, and, in the process, makes the smoke smooth and cool.
The word shisha, which is often another word for hookah, comes from the Persian meaning glass or bottle. Hookahs and the culture of hookah smoking is often referred to as hookah shisha. Somewhat confusingly, at first, people also refer to hookah tobacco as shisha, or hookah shisha–and there is a Shisha brand of hookah shisha!
Hookah pipes today come in many styles, from Egyptian to Syrian, traveling, mini and mod models to specialty and custom designs. There is a world of history in the craftsmanship of hookah pipes. Traditional materials used in making hookahs were blown glass, often highly decorated in gold or enamel painting, brass, aluminum, silver, porcelain, clay, carved stone and wood, and leather. All these same materials are used today, with the addition of stainless steel, Pyrex glass, plastic, rubber, and high quality acrylics, among others.
In restaurants and smoking lounges, individually wrapped, disposable plastic mouthpieces are provided for each smoker. Other accoutrements of the hookah pipe and tobacco include the hookah charcoal and metal tongs. The charcoal is typically in coin-sized pieces and each lasts for about 30 minutes in the slow smoking tobacco mixture.
Certain etiquette applies to the smoking of hookah pipes: the water pipes are meant to be on the ground, rather than on a high table or shelf, with the smokers seated on cushions or low seats around it–though in modern hookah lounges, they often appear on tables. Shared hookah pipes are not supposed to be passed, but rather set down after smoking so that the next smoker can take up the pipe at their leisure.
Related Articles of Interest :
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A Guide to Hookah Smoking
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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The slow and relaxed experience of smoking a hookah, which includes preparation of the hookah and the tobacco, is the whole point of hookah smoking. It’s not about a buzz or a nicotine fix, it’s about the relaxed space, among friends and out of time,...
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Hookah Smoke
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Devised in the Middle East several centuries ago, the hookah is considered very hip among teen smokers in the US. The hookah, also known by different names as the shisha, narghile or the slang term ‘hubble-bubble’, actually consists of a metal cylinder fitted with a...
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Hookah Tobacco
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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The tobacco used in hookahs is different than that associated with cigarettes, or, indeed, any other form of smoking. It is, traditionally, a damp blend–called tobamel or maassel–of fresh tobacco leaves with molasses or honey and semi-dried fruit or fruit pulp. Some smokers would add...
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Buying a Hookah
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Since the culture of hookah shisha is one of relaxation, it’s best to approach the process of hookah buying with patience. Research the subject, become familiar with the best materials and products, consider the aesthetics–what pleases most and will most enhance the smoking experience for...
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What Exactly is a Hookah?
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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The hookah has a long and storied history. Also known variously as a hubble-bubble, narghile, shisha, or water pipe, among other names, hookahs have been used for a mellow tobacco smoking experience in Asia and the Middle East for centuries. Coming to the Middle East...
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Hookah Lounges: An Overview
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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As prevalent in parts of the Middle East and India as delis or Starbucks are in the United States, with one on every corner, hookah lounges and hookah bars, once quite rare in the West, have lately been seeing a rise in popularity here. From...
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Wholesale Hookahs
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Given the growing popularity of hookah smoking and hookah lounges, wholesale hookahs represent a tremendous value — if you can get your hands on one (or more). . For someone who is considering starting a retail hookah shop or smoking lounge, or who wants to...
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Smoke Shop
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Shops that sell cigars, cigarettes, pipes, herbal mixtures and accessories such as pipes, hookahs and humidors are called smoke shops. They are found in almost every city and enjoy patronage from smokers of all kinds of tobacco and tobacco alternatives. Smoke shops sell all kind...
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Copper Pipes
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Copper is used in making pipes because it is non-toxic and resistant to corrosion. Copper is so widely used in the pipe industry that for the last 75 years, our water has traveled through a copper pipes. Every year, about a billion feet of copper...
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Stop Smoking
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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“It is easy to quit smoking; I’ve done it hundreds of times,” Mark Twain once quipped jocularly. It is no wonder most smokers who want to quit smoking end up like the illustrious American author. When you smoke, you breathe in over 4,000 chemicals including...