A brief history of hookah
pick it up and pack it
Light it up and come together
Take a puff with a bong
put down the cigarette
It'll be fine in no time
Don't get me wrong
This is not a new method
Cypress Hill's song " Hits From the Bong" reveals a lot of facts
When you spill water on your carpet, it does smell like shit;
When you take a nice puff, it will indeed feel very smooth;
And bong is definitely not a new method.
ancient hookah
Hookahs have been a staple of dormitories and smoke shops since the 1970s, but hookah use goes back much further than that. In fact, it goes back thousands of years.
These ancient hookahs were discovered in burial mounds in southern Russia built by the Scythians and date to around 400 BC, making them the earliest known hookahs in history. Artifacts in the tombs tested positive for marijuana and opium residues, suggesting these early humans were getting high thousands of years ago. (Time travel is almost a reality, right?)
However, Scythian hookahs were not like those you see in shops today. Ancient craftsmen clearly didn't use gold to make the first hookah. They likely evolved from hand-held wooden and earthenware braziers - these were small carved or molded containers into which cannabis could be filled, upon which hot stones or pebbles were placed and the smoke and vapor inhaled.
The ancient Greek historian Herodotus had already written about the ritual use of medicine by the Scythians, but these discoveries significantly confirm and expand our knowledge of their lifestyle and hookah history.
african roots
Before the discovery of the Scythian hookah, archaeologists believed that the earliest hookah came from a cave in Ethiopia. Eleven hookahs dated between 1100 AD and 1400 AD were found in the cave. These hookahs are more complex, made of pottery and animal horns. Some parts were even built underground to aid filtration and cooling, demonstrating the creative design of early smoking devices (and rightly so).
The spread of the Silk Road
The first written record of hookah in Asia comes from East Asia in the 13th century, during the Ming Dynasty of China. By the Qing Dynasty in 1644, hookah had become the most popular way of smoking. There were two methods of making these hookahs at the time. One is made of bamboo and is considered a simpler version more popular with rural commoners. Merchants, city dwellers, and the elite used more elegant hookahs made of brass or bronze.
Although hookahs became less popular over time, Empress Dowager Cixi is recorded as having a strong preference for hookahs. She loved them so much that when she died in 1908, she took three of her favorite hookahs with her when she was buried, which has become a legend in our memories.
origin of word
Another interesting fact is the word "bong" itself. The term comes from the Thai word "baung," which means a cylindrical bamboo tube, and is believed to have entered American culture after being brought home by Vietnam War veterans.
The rise of glass smoking pots now
Over the centuries, hookah spread around the world via the Silk Road, a series of trade routes between East Asia and Europe. After hookahs became popular in Europe, they inevitably made their way to the Americas.
By the 19th century, improvements in glass crafting methods provided better materials for making hookahs. So the stage for the modern hookah has finally arrived.
Although hookahs have been around for thousands of years, they really began to gain popularity in the 1960s, coinciding with the hippie movement and the growing popularity of marijuana. At this time, an American glassmaker and glass artist, Bob Snodgrass, known as the Godfather of the modern glass hookah, turned his attention to glass-blown hookahs.
During this time, he designed and created an astonishing number of hookahs. Snodgrass used borosilicate glass because it can withstand high temperatures. He even developed a glass crafting method called evaporation, which uses gold and silver to add unusual colors to the glass.
This approach helped him create the signature psychedelic look that dominated modern hookah styles for decades. So, if you’re wondering who created the hookah as we know it today, the ultimate answer is him.