Smoking Water Pipe – What Is It

A hookah is basically a water pipe intended for the smoking of tobacco. It is often made of glass with two or more flexible stems drawing the water cooled smoke from the Smoking Pipe. It originated in India many centuries ago, and moved from there into the Middle East. Although tobacco was the original substance burned in the hookah, others are also used. Some of these others have been illegal substances such as Cannabis or Opium, and this has tended to give hookahs a bad name in Western Culture. In recent years, the hookah has been making some headway in dispelling this bad reputation. One of the attractions of hookah smoking in the East was the manner in which the activity induced relaxation, and stimulated conversation.
Hookah Smoking Water Pipes today come in many styles, from Egyptian to Syrian, traveling, mini and mod models to specialty and custom designs. There is a world of history in the craftsmanship of China Smoking Pipe. Traditional materials used in making hookahs were blown glass, often highly decorated in gold or enamel painting, brass, aluminum, silver, porcelain, clay, carved stone and wood, and leather. All these same materials are used today, with the addition of stainless steel, Pyrex glass, plastic, rubber, and high quality acrylics, among others.
Certain etiquette applies to the smoking of hookah pipes: the water pipes are meant to be on the ground, rather than on a high table or shelf, with the smokers seated on cushions or low seats around it–though in modern hookah lounges, they often appear on tables. Shared hookah pipes are not supposed to be passed, but rather set down after smoking so that the next smoker can take up the pipe at their leisure.
The article comes from Hookah.