The Triumph of the Shisha

Throughout the Arab world, the water pipe has been a traditional accompaniment to friendly gatherings since the 17th century. Now, the shisha is becoming increasingly popular in German bars and cafes. Ariana Mirza reports from Berlin.

Throughout the Arab world, the water pipe – or "shisha" – has been a traditional accompaniment to friendly gatherings since the 17th century. Now, the shisha is becoming increasingly popular in German bars and cafes. Ariana Mirza reports from Berlin.

photo: Stephan Schmidt
The water pipe ritual in a Berlin bar

​​"I first took a draw on a shisha a year ago, while on holiday in Turkey." Now Stephan, 25, is a regular in the Shisha Lounge, in the Berlin district of Friedrichshain. On almost every table in this trendy bar, there stands a tall, ornately-decorated and carefully-prepared water pipe.

The mouthpiece is attached to a long tube; the water bubbles and gurgles in the pipe as the mouthpiece is passed from hand to hand. Smoking the shisha is a highly convivial pastime. Stephan’s workmate Sven also quickly became a fan of the Oriental water pipe: "I don’t drink alcohol and I don’t smoke cigarettes, but the shisha is something special. The cooled smoke is pleasant because it doesn’t tickle the throat at all. I also like the fruity flavour, and of course the sheer sociability of it all."

In the Arab world, the shisha (which is also known as the nargile or hookah), can boast a lengthy tradition dating back to the 17th century. But in contrast to coffee and tea, the water pipe – which uses tobacco flavoured with molasses and fruit - never really caught on in Europe. Now, bars and cafes offering shishas to their guests are springing up all over the place. It seems that the fragrant water pipe is about to experience a belated triumph.

More and more Germans are discovering the pleasures of the Oriental smoking ritual. The Iraqi owner of the Shisha Lounge is delighted by the recent upsurge of curiosity; but as an experienced gastronome, he’s careful not to place all his eggs in one basket: "What we’re offering here is a combination cocktail-and-shushi bar. The two go together very well."

The pleasures of the pipe are not for men alone

Mreihil Amer, the Lebanese owner of the Babel restaurant, sees the water pipe as a luxurious complement to the food and drink he has on offer. "It’s simply very pleasant to spend an hour or two relaxing over a pipe after dinner or after work; that’s the best way for Europeans to understand this old Arabic tradition."

With Oriental flair, and regular belly-dance performances, Mreihil Amer wants to attract a prosperous and sophisticated clientele. He rejects any suggestion that Your opinion
Do you think the interest in the shisha water pipe represents a genuine interest in Oriental culture or is it just a superficial trend? Please write to us! the water pipe is popular only amongst young people: "The shisha is now appreciated by guests of all ages and from all social groupings. That includes lawyers and doctors. And it’s wrong to think of pipe-smoking as an exclusively male domain."

In his home country, says Amer, women enjoy the water pipe just as much as men do. If this fact is not as well-known in Germany as it might be, Amer explains that women in the Arab world tend to smoke at home rather than in public.

The shisha – a taste of home

The Babel restaurant is a good place to observe just how relaxing a shisha session can be. A young couple has settled down cosily amongst the embroidered cushions. When we ask if we might interview them, they laughingly turn down our request; they’re clearly in love. But they do tell us why they get such a kick out of smoking the water pipe in this Oriental ambience: "We feel at home here."

The numerous tearooms and coffeehouses in the poorer quarters of Berlin also provide their guests with a kind of home from home. In these meeting places, the customers are almost exclusively of Turkish or Arab descent. Here, smoking the water pipe is a matter of course; the only things the male visitor might miss are alcohol, a chic interior – and some female company.

German shisha fans such as Stephan and Sven have no desire for quite such an authentic environment. "I’m not really particularly interested in Oriental culture", says Stephan, who works as a computer programmer; yet he wouldn’t like to have to do without his shisha, and he may even buy his own, someday.

Water pipes aren’t cheap, but they are easily available in a range of styles, via the Internet or in specialist shops. The same goes for the various tobacco mixtures (which are imported mainly from Yemen) and the coal needed to light the shisha. Pipe owners can reckon with paying around 10 Euros per gram of fruit tobacco.

It still remains to be seen whether water pipes will catch on all over the country. Mreihil Amer is optimistic: "In ten years time, there will be more people smoking the water pipe in Germany than in Lebanon."

Ariana Mirza, © Qantara.de 2003
Translation from German: Patrick Lanagan

If you want to know more about the Shisha trend, click here (in German).