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Originally Posted by Hookah
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Man holding a water pipe (hookah)
This article is about a traditional smoking pipe. For divers supplied with breathing gas from the surface, see surface supplied diving.
A hookah (Arabic: حقة; Hindustani: हुक़ा / حقہ) is a multi-stemmed, often glass-based water pipe device for smoking, originating from arabia. It is presently popular in Turkey. A hookah operates by water-filtration and indirect heat. It can be used for smoking many substances, such as herbal fruits and tobacco. Depending on locality, hookahs are known as other names, such as a shisha/sheesha, water pipe, nargeela/nargile/narghile/nargileh, argeela/arghileh, okka, kalyan, or ghelyoon/ghalyan. Many of these names are of Arab, Somalian, Indian, Ethiopian, Turkish, Uzbek, or Persian origin. Narghile (نارگيله) is from the Persian word nārgil (نارگیل) or "coconut", and in Sanskrit nārikela (नारीकेल) since the original nargile came from India and was made out of coconut shells.[1] Shisha (شيشة) is from the Persian word shishe (شیشه, literally translated as glass and not bottle). Hashish (حشيش) is an Arabic word for grass, which may have been another way of saying tobacco. Another source states, "In early Arabic texts, the term hashish referred not only to cannabis resin but also to the dried leaves or flower heads and sweetmeats made with them".[2] Hookah itself may stem from Arabic uqqa, meaning small box, pot, or jar. Both names refer to the original methods of constructing the smoke/water chamber part of the hookah.
Narghile is the name most commonly used in Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Palestine, Israel and Romania, though the initial "n" is often dropped in Arabic. Shisha is more commonly seen in Egypt, Bahrain, Morocco, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. In Iran it is called ghalyoun or ghalyan (قليان) and in Pakistan and India it is referred to as huqqa. The archaic form of this latter name, hookah is most commonly used in English for historical reasons, as it was in India that large numbers of English-speakers first sampled the effects of the water pipe. William Hickey wrote in his Memoirs that shortly after his arrival in Calcutta in 1775:
The most highly-dressed and splendid hookah was prepared for me. I tried it, but did not like it. As after several trials I still found it disagreeable, I with much gravity requested to know whether it was indispensably necessary that I should become a smoker, which was answered with equal gravity, 'Undoubtedly it is, for you might as well be out of the world as out of the fashion. Here everybody uses a hookah, and it is impossible to get on without'.....[i] have frequently heard men declare they would much rather be deprived of their dinner than their hookah.[3]Contents [hide]
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Design and function
Closeup of a hookah of the type commonly used in Egypt. The green glass is the base, the metallic tube above the base is the pipe, the black and silver coil is the hose, and the bowl is hidden by a wind guard. A pair of tongs, for holding the coal during lighting, rests on the tray.
A hookah is constructed from four fundamental components:
the base, vase, or smoke chamber, is partially filled with water.
the bowl or head, which contains the flavors; the heating apparatus is placed on top.
the pipe or stem which connects the bowl to the base by a tube that descends into the water.
the hose, which connects to a second tube in the pipe that does not descend into the water, instead, extends into the smoke chamber.
These basic parts do not vary in function; naturally, there are any number of decorations or subtle variations in form. The heating apparatus is usually charcoal. The charcoal is usually placed on a metal mesh or perforated aluminum foil, but these are often omitted to produce a denser smoke. The hose may or may not be detachable — simple hookahs simply have a tube into the air of the smoke chamber; elaborate hookahs have three or more hoses in a single chamber, sometimes with filters attached at one or both ends of the hose. Traditionally, hookahs have been ornately decorated. Some modern hookahs bear little resemblance to older designs. Also hookah is only 3% tobacco and 97% dried fruit. You are more likely to die of a shark attack then of lung cancer due to hookah.
When a smoker inhales through the hose, a vacuum is created in the top portion of the smoke chamber. In reaction to this pressure differential, air must be introduced into the smoke chamber from the outside. As air is forced into the pipe it stokes the coal, in turn heating the tobacco and producing smoke. This smoke is pulled down through the pipe, and through the water into the smoke chamber. From there, it is drawn through the hose and inhaled by the smoker. As soon as the smoker finishes, the chamber pressure normalizes and very little smoke is produced by the hookah. Forcing the smoke through the water partially filters tar and particulates from the tobacco smoke in addition to cooling it.
The design of a hookah allows for multiple hoses to lead to a single filtration chamber; this simplifies use by groups. Multiple hoses can, however, reduce suction and makes drawing smoke difficult or impossible. Some hookahs incorporate a ball-bearing check valve into each hose to combat this problem, while others require smokers to block the mouthpiece with their finger when not in use. Multi-hose hookahs are particularly popular in the Western world, where hookah smoking is a social phenomenon. They are not as common in Asia and Africa.
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Water Restrictions
