| The hookah has a long and storied history. Also known | | | | playing games of chance, and simple gatherings of |
| variously as a hubble-bubble, narghile, shisha, or water | | | | friends for enjoyment and relaxation. Offering a guest |
| pipe, among other names, hookahs have been used | | | | a puff at the house hookah, or narghile, was a sign of |
| for a mellow tobacco smoking experience in Asia and | | | | welcome and hospitality. Rather than a habit of |
| the Middle East for centuries. Coming to the Middle | | | | nervousness, as many might classify the cigarette, the |
| East from India, the hookah started out as a humble | | | | hookah is an entry to tranquility and reflection. It is a |
| coconut shell. In Turkey, it evolved into the true hookah, | | | | connection to the past and an oasis of civilized |
| becoming a mainstay of coffee house life during the | | | | fellowship in the frenetic present. |
| 17th century. Hookah smoking is still very common in | | | | With such a long history, it's not surprising that the |
| cafes and restaurants throughout the Middle East. | | | | craftsmanship in a hookah approaches the level of art; |
| Many rituals, of preparation, lighting, and smoking | | | | most hookahs are exquisitely detailed and beautiful. At |
| etiquette, surround the use of the hookah. People | | | | one time, each part of the hookah was produced by a |
| gathered in the coffee houses to smoke together, | | | | craftsman specifically trained to produce just that |
| exchanging news and stories--or simply sharing quiet, | | | | piece. Materials used included silver, crystal, and amber. |
| meditative time. Recalling a more relaxed and unhurried | | | | When you add in the centuries of tradition and ritual in |
| past, hookahs conjure tales of journeys along the Nile, | | | | which the hookah is steeped, it's easy to see that this |
| long nights in exotically scented gardens, the spice of | | | | ancient water pipe represents the nexus of a singular |
| the bazaar, and the sinuous music of the belly dance. | | | | and luxuriant experience in smoke and social |
| Hookahs were smoked by women gathered for tea, | | | | interaction--and why it's becoming so popular in the |
| by students engaging in intellectual discussion, men | | | | West. |