The History of Shisha
Shisha, Hookah, Nargileh. It could be said with many names from different accents all over the world. With the right motivation and crowd, it somehow symbolizes unity and peace. Shisha could be made all over the world with different methods using different tools giving a different experience. There is no limit to creativity when it comes to smoking shisha. The wildest of ideas have taken place, and it doesn’t seem like anyone is slowing down. Before we came along with fancy shisha looks, there’s a thread of history of how it had started and how it developed into a worldwide smoking experience.
The idea of smoking shisha started in the 16th century. During those times, smoking tobacco presented men in a high place in society. It wasn’t what it is today in terms of anyone over 18 showing their ID to smoke some shisha with their friends or significant other. Engineers wanted to purify smoke through water, and they began to test models of smoking. The man behind this idea was Persian physician; Abdul Fatih Gilani. He was one of the Persian Emperors right hand man and had come to the emperor and told him there would be a way for him to smoke tobacco after is passes water before inhalation.
Upon many years and ages, the shisha has gone over to different empires. It reached the Turkish culture, and it still represented the same symbol, status. During this time, shisha symbolled more than just luxury. It had its luxury status because of its exclusiveness BUT it became a symbol of trust. Shisha was offered to a guest or any royal family outing to show the level of trust and fondness they have in that person. At this time, the most common flavour would be the Ajami which is a dark leaf and had a strong potent.
Furthermore, there was something that had started in Egypt that none of the people have seen before. FLAVOURED TOBACCO. That’s right, shisha only had the Ajami flavour and at times it was mixed with honey to give it a sweet taste. When the innovative smoking device, the shisha, got many flavours to go with it, that’s when it took off. It had a bitter taste with the Ajami leaf that smoking it with a different flavour gave a more relaxed feeling and a lot smoother on the throat opposing to the Ajami which always tasted burned, heavy, and weighed on your chest and lunges heavy. Bringing in flavours of tobacco opened the market wide open, and everyone wanted a taste. The first flavours made for the shisha was dried lemon, grape, watermelon, and mint.
Although shisha was made around the middle eastern community, it hasn’t failed to spread rapidly around the world. In our company, we try to maximize our quantity with a variety while still managing the quality. There are unique innovative shishas that are smaller and bigger depending on the moment and people involved. You could be sitting anywhere in a café around the world, and the shisha may bring you together with someone to create a moment to remember.