A History Of Hookah

The ubiquity of hookah, or hookah shisha, is a case to be understood. This waterpipe features everywhere—from Instagram stories to summer soirées. It begs the question: where did the hookah even come from?

Though often thought to have originated in the Middle East, the hookah can actually be traced back to sixteenth-century India. 

This was a time when the Portuguese were using Indian trade routes to export their tobacco produce to the world. Subsequently, tobacco made its way to Emperor Akbar's court as a present from Asad Beg, a Mughal ambassador. Akbar's chief physician, Abu’l-Fath Gilani, was concerned about the harmful effects of smoking tobacco directly through unfiltered pipes. This concern, thus, prompted the invention of hookah. 

Since Indian exports of glass had been flourishing at the time, a glass mold was used seeking to filter the smoke through water, leading to the creation of Shisha (meaning glass in Persian). Soon, it became a status symbol among royalty and noblemen, reflected in the many paintings where they were seen posing with it. 

Artwork titled “A Raja Smoking a Hookah"
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

As it made its way to the Middle East in the coming centuries, the hookah saw both popularity and modification. In Persia, it was called Nargile, and was mass-produced, making it accessible to commonfolk. When it reached Turkey in the eighteenth-century, the design was changed and the brass structure was embellished with symbols and designs of religious and cultural significance. Now, it became available in coffee shops and reflected striking commerciality. A key improvisation in the hookah—that of flavoured smoke—was conceptualised by nineteenth-century Egyptians, who mixed honey and other syrups with their tobacco before consumption. Then, post accommodation of its many variations, Hookah reached the world through travellers.

Maybe the next time you proceed to puff out a thick cloud of smoke, you will remember Abu’l-Fath Gilani and others, and get a taste of royalty!