For some, shisha is a means of entertainment, relaxation or social activity; some consider it an integral part of Arabic culture; for others it is a habit that needs to be eliminated.
Everywhere you go in the Arab world, be it cafés, beaches, deserts, mountains, neighbourhoods or homes, you come across people having shisha.
“Shisha” comes from the Persian word shisheh, meaning glass. It is also known as Narghila in classical Arabic and Argileh in spoken Arabic.
Shisha, or the hookah, is said to have originated in the northwestern Indian provinces of Rajasthan and Gujarat bordering Pakistan.
The hookahs were simple, primitive and rugged in design and were usually made from a coconut shell with a tube attached.
The hookah made its way through Persia and “acquired” tombeik (a dark tobacco) on the way.
Shisha reached Turkey about 500 years ago and became popular among the upper class and intellectuals.
The hookah grew in size and became similar to the designs we are familiar with today. Brass and glass replaced wood and paintings and mosaics added to the beauty.
Shisha was introduced in the Arab world — first in Lebanon and Syria and then Egypt and Morocco — by the Turks.
Today it has become so popular that while many young people will not smoke cigarettes in the presence of their parents, they would not think twice before taking a puff from a shisha at a family gathering.
Men smoke fruit-flavoured tobacco using the traditional device shisha as they banter, play chess or backgammon, or simply pass the day in a fragrant fog at shisha cafes. Studies point to many ill-effects of this habit
Brides in some Arab countries, such as Syria, have at least one shisha in their trousseaus.
In recent years several studies have been conducted on the ill-effects of shisha, which have shown that it increases the risk of lung, oral and bladder cancer and heart disease. However, neither the ill-effects nor the rules imposed in many Arabs countries to restrict its use seem to drive shisha lovers away;
Mohammad Mashish, a 31-year-old Syrian TV presenter, said shisha is a way of life for Arabs. “Nowadays people invite each other for a shisha rather than a cup of coffee,” said Mashish, who believes it has become a symbol of Arabic culture.
For Mohammad, shisha relieves stress. “In our culture, to keep sighing is very rude.
So when you have a shisha you have a legitimate reason to do so,” Mashish said. “When I am alone and have a shisha, I feel I am in the company of a friend.” Mashish knows about shisha’s ill-effects but believes worse things can happen to one’s health.
While views differ among Arabs on whether shisha is part of their tradition, non-Arabs find it difficult to detach it from Arabic culture.
Laura Etherington, a 29-year-old British executive, said: “When I go out for a shisha I feel I am doing something very Arabic. For many non-Arabs shisha is a symbol of Arabic culture.”
However, for some shisha goes beyond being a social activity or entertainment.
It has became an addiction for people such as Gassan Elayyan, a 28-year-old Jordanian executive, who has shisha about three times a day.
“Every morning I promise myself that I will quit shisha but I cannot find a better choice to escape the accumulating problems of the day,” said Elayyan, who recalls a time he got ill and promised his doctor that he would quit shisha.
But on the way home he got stuck in traffic and took a detour to a shisha place.
Behind the puffs
The shisha consists of three parts.
A hollow glass (sometimes clay or brass) base filled with water, a vertical pipe topped with a clay bowl for the tobacco and coals, and an attached hose to inhale through.
When one sucks on the hose, the smoke is drawn down the pipe and through the water, which cools and filters it.
There are two classifications of shisha tobacco: mouassal and tumbak (ajami).
Ajami shisha is made from pure tobacco leaves and is usually more expensive than mouassal.
It is soaked in water for ten minutes and then shaped into an inverted cone and put on the bowl (or ‘rass’, the head of the shisha). The cone should be poked in the middle all the way down to allow air in. A lit charcoal is placed on the top.
Mouassal is made of tobacco, honey, fruits (apple, strawberries, mint, mixed fruit, etc) and molasses.
A deeper bowl is used for mouassal than for ajami and the lit charcoal is placed on a small sheet of punctured foil surmounting the bowl and its contents rather than directly on the shisha.
Some notable brands of flavoured tobacco are Al Amir, Hookafina, Abajûra, Al bâshâ , Al Esfahâny, Al Nakhla, Ibyâry, Shîh Al Beled, Zeglûl. All of these are Egyptian except for Shîh Al Beled, which is Tunisian.
This is in addition to Bahraini molasses such as Bahraini Apple (made by local firms and adopted by international shisha molasses firms such as Al Nakhla as well) and Bahraini Zeglul, and UAE-based Al Fakher molasses, which is often softer in taste than the Egyptian molasses.
Today there are also numerous varieties produced in the West.
Packaging is generally illustrated with bright floral motifs, fruit, gardens and images of sultans or pashas.
The relative proportions of tobacco, treacle, fruits and spices, on an average, are 30 per cent, 50 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.
The substance is generally fit for use for two years.
Health warnings about lung cancer risks and cardiovascular disease appear on these products as for tobacco products elsewhere in the world.
