Moroccan hookah
What is a Hookah
A hookah (Hindi: हुक़्क़ा, Urdu: حقّہ huqqah) is a
single or multi-stemmed (often glass-bottomed) water
pipe for smoking. Originally from India, the hookah
has gained immense popularity, especially in the
Middle East.[6] A hookah operates by water
filtration and indirect heat. It can be used for
smoking marijuana, herbal fruits, or tobacco.
The Hookah was invented in India in the court of the
Mughal emperor Akbar (1542 - 1605 CE)
Following the European introduction of tobacco to
India, Hakim Abul Fateh Gilani who was a physician
in the court of Mughal raised concerns after smoking
tobacco became popular among Indian noblemen, and
subsequently envisaged a system which allowed smoke
to be passed through water in order to be
'purified'. Gilani invented the Hookah after
Asad Beg, then ambassador of Bijapur, encouraged
Akbar to take up smoking.
Following popularity among noblemen, this new device
for smoking soon became a status symbol for the
Indian aristocracy and gentry.
The commonness of the Indian word "hookah" in
English is a result of the British Raj, the British
dominion of India (1858–1947), when large numbers of
expatriate Britons first sampled the water-pipe |
