The origin of hookah
In order to comprehend hookah, we must first comprehend its past. The hookah originated in India in the thirteenth century, and its rise to prominence in the Middle East started in the sixteenth. The first hookah was intended primarily for smoking those ancient tobaccos and was constructed from basic coconut shells and bamboo tubes.
In Turkey and Iran during the Ottoman Empire, hookah was like a princess at a ball or a winding snake, full of mystery and temptation. Later, hookah gradually spread to Arab countries and became a popular local smoking method. By the Ming Dynasty, hookah was introduced to China through international exchanges.
The use of tobacco in China began in the Qing Dynasty. With the arrival of foreign embassies and businessmen, pipe tobacco became popular in Shanghai, Beijing and other places. At that time, among the customs officers in the British and American concessions, the pipe was famous for its slender black pipe and yellow pipe body. Although it was rare in rural areas, it was quite popular in big cities.
Hookahs were improved in China and gradually incorporated Chinese characteristics. The body of the pot is made of white copper, red copper or brass, with built-in clean water, so that the smoke when smoking needs to be filtered by the water. People think that this is both hygienic and can make the smoke smell softer.
Because the hookah is large in size and contains water, it is not suitable for carrying outside and is mainly used at home. When a guest comes to your home, in addition to a cup of hot tea, you also have to offer a pot of shisha. This was an elegant etiquette of that era.
Before matches were widely used, lighting hookah required flint and a fire sickle. People put a small tube rolled into straw paper against a stone and hit the flint with a fire sickle to ignite the straw paper. This process requires certain skills. Blowing sparks is also a skill that requires short and powerful breaths, not too quick or too light, to light the tobacco.
The Importance of Hookah in the United States
In the mid-nineteenth century, the importance of tobacco in American life gave rise to a range of smoking paraphernalia not unlike the diverse smoking customs of Qing Dynasty China. Snuff boxes were deeply loved by American gentlemen, reflecting the Chinese literati’s love for snuff bottles. The common clay pipe is similar to the Chinese dry pipe and is a staple of the working class.
In order to show their uniqueness and follow the fashion of the times, almost every wealthy family in the United States owns a hookah set. It serves a dual purpose: personal enjoyment and hospitality to guests.
The production of shisha pipes in the United States is very prosperous, and the styles range from simple to luxurious. Inlaid with gold, silver and intricate enamel, the exquisite hookahs rival the luxury of Chinese cloisonné hookah pipes and are often the choice of upper-class ladies and socialites. More plain versions also existed, made of brass or copper, sometimes decorated with carvings of flora, fauna or patriotic symbols, and occasionally with quotes from American poets and philosophers.
The Composition of a Traditional Hookah
The construction of a traditional hookah is intricate, with numerous components that together create a complete smoking apparatus. There’s the stem, which serves as the conduit for the smoke; the bowl, where the tobacco is placed and inserted into the base; the mouthpiece, also known as the base, which holds a certain amount of water for cooling and filtering the smoke; and the tobacco chamber for holding the shisha, or flavored tobacco.
Maintenance tools are also essential, including a cleaning brush and a poker. The brush is used to scrub the bowl, while the poker is employed to remove any residue or buildup within the bowl. Tongs are provided for handling the tobacco, and two small pins are included for keeping the tongs and brush secure.
Dangers of Smoking Hookah
Global health experts have recently warned that hookah, popular in the Middle East and North Africa, may pose more potential health hazards than traditional cigarettes and that the number of hookah smokers is growing in many other parts of the world. At the World Tobacco or Health Conference in Abu Dhabi, the World Tobacco Report revealed a shocking fact: “The amount of smoke in one hookah session is almost equivalent to the amount of smoke in a full cigarette.
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