Did you know that it’s in Ethiopia that were found the oldest shishas? They date back to the 13-14th century.

But many countries, including India, Iran, Turkey, Egypt and Syria claim that shisha originated in their territories. The truth is that most probably shishas made an appearance in various places simultaneously. They became popular in Africa and the Arab World (including Lebanon) in the 16th century, when Portuguese introduced tobacco in Iran, and coffee shops started spreading in the region.

Shishas were a very sought after diplomatic gift: French luxury manufacturers such as Baccarat, Christofle and Saint Louis produced them till 1914. The European word, Narguile, comes from the Persian world Nargil, which itself is originally a sanskrit word, and means coconut: the first shishas used coconuts shells as recipients.

Shisha smoking is actually very unhealthy: 1 smoking session corresponds to 100 cigarettes.