Shisha water pipes – origins and culture
Shisha water pipes are widely used in countries across the Middle East. There, shisha water pipes are an important part of social culture, and smoking shisha is quite common. But where does shisha actually come from? And what role does shisha play in Eastern culture? Find out here!
Origins of the shisha hookah
We don’t know exactly where and when the shisha was invented, but the first written records of the shisha come from India and ancient Persia, around 1600 AD. In earlier times, the shisha was reserved for the wealthy; smoking the water pipe was a sign of prosperity and power. Over time, the shisha water pipe became increasingly widespread among the “lower classes”; today, shisha is smoked by people from all walks of life.
The name “shisha” comes from the ancient Persian word “shishe,” which means “glass.” Shisha has many different names, such as argilah, narghile, qalyan, and hookah. Shisha is the most common name in the Netherlands, as well as in Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Somalia. A Persian nobleman referred to it as “smoke purified by water.” This sounded appealing to the upper echelons of society; their tobacco was purer than that of the common people. As a result, shisha became particularly popular among the upper classes.
Shisha Water Pipe in Culture
In many Eastern cultures, smoking shisha is the equivalent of having a friendly beer with friends here. Many friends and families gather to smoke shisha together. It’s no surprise, then, that in the Middle East, cafes and bars offering shisha water pipes are particularly popular. It’s quite normal to sit around one or more shisha pipes with a drink and enjoy smoking them together.
For these kinds of social occasions, there are also shishas with two or more mouthpieces, allowing multiple people to smoke from them at the same time. Many people in the Middle East also have shishas at home—sometimes to actually smoke with guests, but also simply for decoration. Meanwhile, hookahs have also become increasingly widespread in Western countries. They are particularly popular among young people from immigrant backgrounds.
Shisha water pipes are subject to tobacco laws, so there aren’t many cafes in the Netherlands that offer them. But young people also smoke shisha at home and in small groups. Older generations have had little exposure to shisha. Whether it can become part of Western culture remains to be seen.
