HOOKAH HISTORY: THE DEVELOPMENT OF HOOKAH (PERSIA)

The hookah pipe originally came from the north-west India almost a thousand years ago, between Rajasthan and Gujarat along the Pakistan border nearly millennia back. The first hookahs primitive compare to the hookahs of today, and were more often than not fashioned from a coconut shell that had a head and a tube attached to it. Hookahs were originally created for the smoking of hashish and opium, and the hookah as artifact moved its way through the Persian Empire, which at the time included most of the Middle-east, Middle Asia and Northern Africa of today.

Through its journey throughout lands and continents the hookah came to be used more commonly in the smoking of tombeik, which is a coarse, dark tobacco that was grown in the region now referred to as Iran. Tombeik tobacco is typically washed and then placed in the head of the hookah where hot coal is then applied directly to it, thus giving a strong flavor and dense smoke.

The essential design of the hookah, has changed little throughout the years, with the original Persian designs still being available today, crafted by hand from a single block of wood. Cigarettes became widely available in the 19th century, but at this period many women still used the hookah in many countries due to the fact that they commonly remained in the home.