Hookahs are the latest trend today, what is thier origin?

Answer 1

The origins of the hookah come from the north western provinces of India along the border of Pakistan in Rajasthan and Gujarat nearly a millennia back.
The hookah was originally created from a coconut shell in which water was placed and a tube was placed upon the top.
There are many websites that explain in detail, and I like the one below the best. Some of the other websites talk about putting wine, or fruit juice in the base of a hookah to change the flavor. Usually it is considered a relaxing experience that you should savor. I've never smoked one, and I'm not sure how well I would enjoy it.

Answer 2

They're a water pipe that originated in the Middle East and are still used there today for smoking tobacco.

Answer 3

Opium dens, opium was like the heroin of olden times (made out of the same stuff) rich men would fritter away their entire fortunes sitting around and smoking opium through a hookah.

Answer 4

Hookahs are from the Middle East:
http://www.thehookah.com/history/1.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookah

The Chinese were introduced to it by traders from the Silk Road.

Answer 5

A hookah (Arabic: حقہ) is a multi-stemmed, often times glass based water pipe device for smoking, originating from India. From India, it was made popular as the form we now see it in today in Turkey. A hookah operates by water-filtration and indirect heat. It can be used for smoking many substances, such as herbal fruits, tobacco, or cannabis. Depending on locality, hookahs are known as other names, such as a water pipe, nargeela/nargile/narghile/nargileh, argeela/arghileh, shisha/sheesha, okka, kalyan, or ghelyoon or ghalyan. Many of these names are of Arab, Somalian, Indian, Ethiopian, Turkish, Uzbek, or Persian origin. Narghile (نارگيله) is from the Persian word nārgil (نارگیل) or "coconut", and in Sanskrit nārikela (नारीकेल) since the original nargile came from India and was made out of coconut shells.[1] Shisha (شيشة) is from the Persian word shishe (شیشه, literally translated as glass and not bottle). Hashish (حشيش) is an Arabic word for grass, which may have been another way of saying tobacco. Another source states, "In early Arabic texts, the term hashish referred not only to cannabis resin but also to the dried leaves or flower heads and sweetmeats made with them".[2] Hookah (Arabic حقة, Hindustani हुक़ा حقہ) itself may stem from Arabic uqqa, meaning small box, pot, or jar. Both names refer to the original methods of constructing the smoke/water chamber part of the hookah.

Narghile is the name most commonly used in Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Palestinian Territories, Israel and Romania, though the initial "n" is often dropped in Arabic. Shisha is more commonly seen in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Somalia. In Iran it is called ghalyoun or ghalyan (قليان) and in Pakistan and India it is referred to as huqqa. The archaic form of this latter name, hookah is most commonly used in English for historical reasons, as it was in India that large numbers of English-speakers first sampled the effects of the water pipe. William Hickey wrote in his Memoirs that shortly after his arrival in Calcutta in 1775:

The most highly-dressed and splendid hookah was prepared for me. I tried it, but did not like it. As after several trials I still found it disagreeable, I with much gravity requested to know whether it was indispensably necessary that I should become a smoker, which was answered with equal gravity, 'Undoubtedly it is, for you might as well be out of the world as out of the fashion. Here everybody uses a hookah, and it is impossible to get on without'.....[I] have frequently heard men declare they would much rather be deprived of their dinner than their hookah

Answer 6

middle east. there great overseas old quys will sit around all day just smoking them and having conversations. Smoke to much and you will get a headache though

Answer 7

somewhere in the middle east i think. I know it is very popular here in germany.

Answer 8

they are of arabian origins..