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How the Hookah Came to America

By: Crystal Management


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Hookah smoking is emerging as a new social phenomenon in the States. Step into any trendy bar, and you’re likely to see one of these exotic water pipes in the center of a circle of people, mostly young and engaged in conversation as they pass the hose around. It’s an old vision, from the earliest origins of the hookah pipe, but there it is, in the 21st century.

Origins

The hookah originated in or near the Middle East, sometime between 7 and 8 centuries ago. The exact location is uncertain, but it’s probable that the earliest hookahs were developed in southern Persia or northern India; some of the hookah’s alternate names (nargile, shisha) are of Persian origin, and the word hookah comes from India. From this Persian-Indian origin, the hookah spread into the Middle East and North Africa, where it was encountered by European explorers in the late 1500s.

East Meets West

The Europeans, at first, were not impressed with the hookah. British officials in India, during the 19th century, were recorded as smoking the pipe, but only because it was part of the culture of the rajahs and village elders they had to deal with. Most European records do not treat the hookah favorably.

Things began to change in the 20th century. As an ever increasing influx of immigrants from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia went to Europe and the United States, they brought their traditions with them. Among those traditions was the hookah. This writer had a unique meeting with the hookah tradition. An acquaintance of mine, who owned a coffee shop in Southeast Michigan, was an immigrant of Lebanon, and he enjoyed his hookah. We had some fascinating conversations, over strong coffee and a hookah smoke.

Catching On

Being a social pastime, hookah smoking quickly caught the eye of the younger generations. That trend began to accelerate towards the end of the century, and hookah smoking caught on for several reasons.

First, the tobacco mixes used in hookahs are truly unique. They are much more flavorful than cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, and far less dangerous. Not only to they contain fewer toxins, but the water filtration of the hookah makes the smoke cleaner than other types of smoking.

Second, hookah smoking is social. While cigarette smokers are notorious for stalking off to corners to get their smoke, hookahs, by their very nature, are smoked in the open, in a group. There is a definite camaraderie to hookah smoking; sitting around in a circle, with the intricately designed pipe in the center, and the conversation following the hose from person to person, is a good way to keep good feelings moving.

And finally, while cigarettes and cigars tend to be noxious, and traditional pipes put out clouds of smoke, a hookah isn’t just a pipe, or something to smoke. A good hookah is a work of art, too. The glass vase and the metal stem lend themselves to artistry in design, and the whole effect, even when not in use, is almost guaranteed to start a conversation.

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