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Smokiana: Historical; Ethnographical cover

Smokiana: Historical; Ethnographical

Chapter 22: PERSIAN.
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About This Book

A richly illustrated survey documents the history, botany, and ethnography of tobacco and related smoking plants alongside a catalog of pipes and smoking apparatus from around the world. It describes botanical varieties of Nicotiana, regional smoking customs, and the materials and forms of pipes — clay, briar, soapstone, gourd, hookah and opium apparatus — and reproduces historic woodcuts and maker stamps. Organized as descriptive entries with images and captions, the work compares local manufacturing traditions, ceremonial uses, and changing fashions in smoking paraphernalia across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific.

PERSIAN.

A. D. 1669          “HOOKAH.”

STELLA of ROME, here is again useful to shew us the “Hookah” of Persia in his day. his book was published 1669 and as travelling from TEHERAN to the HOLY CITY was less rapid than nowadays, we may fairly accept this illustration as representing a well-established object. The action of the “Hookah” or “Hubble bubble” is to draw the smoke through the water—& so cool & purify the fumes of the Tobacco Being made of Glass. This is called a “SHISHEH” & in it is smoked the. Persian “TOMBAK” exclusively grown at CHIRAZ is the best & consumed by the Members of the Imperial family.