The Enigmatic Origins of Hookah: A History Full of Conjectures and Riddles

The history of the origin of hookah is interesting with many confusing versions and interpretations, conjectures, and riddles.

At different times and in different regions, archaeologists have found smoking devices, the design of which, although they did not visually resemble a modern hookah, provided for the use of a container with water for cleaning and cooling the smoke.

The eastern origin of the hookah is undeniable, but several countries are contending for the title of the homeland of this smoking device. The controversy about where hookah smoking started earlier – in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, or somewhere else, doesn’t end for centuries.

Hookahs are also called shisha, nargile, or lula. In Europe, it is known as “hookah”, which means “boiling”, and such a name is not a random choice of Europeans. It’s just that many of them first saw a hookah in India, where it is known as a hookah.

In the period 1858-1947, India was ruled by British Empire. At its peak in the 1920s, Britain controlled a fifth of the world’s population and a quarter of the total land area. Europeans brought an exotic smoking device home as a souvenir and called it a hookah, as in India.

This name is now common in many English-speaking countries.

A smoking device that purifies and cools the smoke created in a combustion bowl filled with tobacco or plants containing psychoactive substances did not always look like a modern hookah.

Probably for this reason, there are many contenders for the championship, and hookah names are different because they are associated with different types of techniques and devices for smoking.

A new hookah culture

New century – new hookahs. The oriental environment is very attractive, but interesting, like any exotic, in small doses, and for constant use in the 21st century, smoking devices with a laconic, minimalist design, in a hi-tech style are chosen.

The main thing is that the hookah smokes well, is not bitter, and easily emits a lot of tasty, soft, well-cleaned, and cooled smoke. Technologists of hookah brands come up with many new, useful additions to make using the device simple.

The masters of past centuries aspired to this, and the history of the hookah industry began with their successful works.

History of the hookah industry

At the end of the 1900s, smoke generators appeared on different continents.

Travelers brought hookah with them, and local artisans refined and improved the design. The design of the hookah has undergone drastic changes with the development of new technologies and the spread of the hookah business.

The customers wanted to try not only new tobacco flavors but also to use unusual devices. Manufacturers responded to such a request by releasing modern smoke units and nano-hookahs – stable, impact-resistant, of an unusual shape, and equipped with adjustable lighting.

These devices are bought in bars and restaurants, where visitors are offered hookah. The external design is very important, but the hookah must function correctly: give out a lot of well-cooled smoke, without bitterness, and assemble quickly.

Another important characteristic of a good hookah is restoring working conditions by replacing components. That is, in order to restore the hookah’s tightness, smoke, or any other qualities, it is enough to change the seals, bowl, bulb, etc., and not the entire device.

Buy hookah online

Usually, a trusted hookah wholesale distributor provides high-quality hookahs and accessories worldwide.

Usually, products range from traditional hookahs to modern designs that cater to different tastes and preferences. Any online hookah shop can offer a diverse selection of hookahs and accessories at competitive prices.

A high-quality, well-equipped hookah will produce a lot of aromatic smoke. Try the variety of tobacco for hookah, and evaluate different flavors of tobacco mixtures, as the hookah will transmit them in their pure form, without extraneous aromas.