HOOKAH HISTORY: THE DEVELOPMENT OF HOOKAH (TURKEY)

Half a century ago the hookah pipe made its way into Turkey and was immediately adopted by the upper classes and intellectuals of the time. This is the point at which the hookah's design changed once more. The new hookah featured a growth in size compared to the original as well as a more complex design. It was during this period in Turkey that the hookah became similar to the typical hookah pipe we know today.

Wood was replaced by glass and brass in the Turkish design and hookahs were adorned with mosaics and fine paintings, making the hookah an object of desire in its own right.

Between two to three hundred years ago the hookahs popularity grew to the point that hookah coffee shops began springing up all over Turkey, with the waiter of a hookah shop being treated something like a skilled chef in his preparation of the hookah pipe for smoking. Getting the right density of tobacco and moistness of the leaves in order for the hookah to smoke well was considered a skill, it was also considered discourteous to touch the coals once they were lit.