[ shisha ]

ONE THING you will encounter in Dubai are a cornucopia of smells. Strong cigarettes, pungent incense, heavy perfumes and shisha. If you've never heard of shisha before then here's a little introduction.

Shisha is a herbal tobacco which is smoked through a "hookah" water pipe. Shisha cafés are popular here, especially now that temperatures have cooled and more people are spending time outdoors. Most Arabian restaurants also offer shisha on their patios. Shisha consists of tobacco fermented with molasses and fruits and the sweet odour conceals the natural smell of tobacco tar and nicotine. 

 

Smoking the hookah pipe is thought to have originated in India back in the 1500s by a Persian physician who thought that allowing the tobacco smoke to pass through water would purify it, thus lessening the harm of tobacco smoking. It soon became a status symbol for the Indian aristocracy and gentry.

In the Arab world, shisha is part of their culture and traditions. Shisha cafés are a social thing, much like pubs might be to Ireland & the UK and coffee shops to Canadians. Shisha is as popular with women as it is for men and many tourists will also embrace the experience of smoking shisha while they're here.

The perception is that smoking shisha is a healthier alternative to cigarettes with its aromatic smoke produced by fruity flavours like strawberry, cherry, apple and grape and it's attracting young adults who may not usually smoke cigarettes. However, a shisha smoker may inhale as much smoke in one session as a cigarette smoker would with 100 cigarettes. 

So while it may be seen as socially cool, I don't think it's something I'll be embracing anytime soon. And with my highly sensitive nose, it's just another smell I have to learn to tolerate in this highly fragrant part of the world.

lisa

[all pics: google]