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For hundreds of years, Middle Eastern people have flocked to this exotic water pipe — more popularly known as the hooka — to smoke shisha tobacco, talk and watch the world pass by.

This deep-rooted cultural practice of smoking shisha has now become an almost integral part of the Arabs — social life and their culture and is rapidly growing in popularity all over the world.

It began hundreds of years before the invasion of the big American cigarette companies and is one of the most common and interesting lifestyles of the Arab world. Some say it originated in Turkey over 500 years ago, some say it originated in Syria, others claim it originated in India.

Undoubtedly, the hooka is among the most instantly recognizable symbols of popular Arab culture and the ever-growing demand from locals, residents and tourists bears ample testimony to the modern-day appeal of the ancient water pipe.

It is now a thriving — and, apparently, extremely lucrative — hooka culture. The number of hooka outlets mushrooming in the Arab world is, indeed, remarkable and, is a clear indication of the profitability of such outlets.

Shisha is tobacco mixed with molasses and fruit flavors and is smoked in a hookah. It is very light and flavorful with a wonderful fruity aroma. Interestingly, it is smoked for the flavor and not for any kind of effect. Though the most popular flavor is apple, others include strawberry, pineapple, apricot, grape, rose, mint, and even cappuccino! A hookah consists of a hollow glass (sometimes clay or brass) base which is filled with water, a vertical pipe topped with a clay bowl for shisha and coals, and a usually colorful hose.

When one sucks on the hose, the smoke is drawn down the pipe and through the water, which cools and filters it. This also produces a peaceful bubbling sound. This sound is as delightful now as the prospect of blowing bubbles in a glass of milk was to most of us when we were young.

Many people prefer hooka smoking to cigarettes and cigars because of the smooth, flavorful and cool taste of the smoke. The cooled smoke is pleasant because it doesn't tickle the throat at all.

Actually, there are so many different names for this unique smoking device, which is essentially a tall, ornately-decorated and carefully-prepared water pipe. Egyptians call it shisha; Lebanese refer to it as nargila; and in English, it is hooka. Tourists sometimes refer to it as "hubbly bubbly." Generally, they consider it as relaxation in an Oriental ambience.

Indeed, smoking the hooka is a highly convivial pastime. It is simply very pleasant to relax over a pipe after dinner or after work. Smoking shisha can last two hours or more and is a very peaceful, social occasion generally filled with good conversation with friends.

It is generally not just smoking, it's a mini "happening." More and more are discovering the pleasures of this age-old Oriental smoking ritual. Obviously, the society's perception of shisha smoking has been completely redefined. Shisha smoking, for example, is no longer an exclusively male pastime.

Women enjoy the water pipe just as much as men do. The sight of an Arab woman puffing away at a shisha no longer raises any eyebrows. Many women in the Arab world, however, still tend to smoke at home rather than in public.

The water pipe is not popular only amongst young people. The truth is, shisha is now appreciated by guests of all ages and from all social groupings. That includes lawyers and doctors. Men and women of the upper classes in the Arab world have been entertaining guests with shisha pipes for centuries. And it's wrong to think of pipe-smoking as an exclusively male domain.