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Shisha vs. Hookah: What is the difference? Hookah Stores in Maryland!

Armin Barbei
August 7, 2023

Do you know your hookah and shisha? The two terms show up a lot in smoke shops and lounges around the world. Hookah and shisha are used interchangeably by a lot of people. Hookah is a word used to describe  a tobacco water pipe that is found in many homes around the world. It is derived from the Arabic word "hookah" which means "casket" or "jar." A hookah has at least one long, flexible tube connected to a stem. A smoker will draw smoke through the body of the pipe and into a water bowl. The smoke is then drawn through the tube and inhaled by the smoker. Shisha most commonly refers to the tobacco that you smoke with a hookah pipe. Traditionally, the tobacco is soaked in different flavored juices for extended periods of time to infuse it with flavor. Many companies specialize in making shisha, and there are many different flavors available to choose from. Some of the more common ones are mint, cherry and strawberry — all pretty standard.

Where people get confused with hookah and shisha. In s0ome cultures, shisha is like a whole holistic process. It refers not just to the tobacco, but to the body of the pipe itself. For some people, shisha is the tobacco, neck, stem, gasket and water bowl, and hookah is just the tube that you smoke with. Sounds wild right? The truth is, many different cultures have historically used water pipes for smoking tobacco and other herbs. The Persian term for a glass bowl is shishe, and so the term became synonymous with a water pipe since they are typically made of glass.

In English-speaking countries though, hookah is a loanword from Arabic that refers to the whole apparatus: bowl, stem, pipes, tubes and everything in between. We commonly use hookah because that's the word we learned for it when this style of water pipe was first encountered. You'll also hear people say they're "smoking hookah" when referring to the act itself, even though shisha is the loanword that refers to the tobacco you smoke. But in some cultures, "shisha" does also refer to the pipe.

At Pars Market we have a wide selection for Hookah and Shisha products! We have a wide variety of shisha brands from Germany, Russia, Turkey, USA ,and many more! Widest selection in the DMV!

Stop by today! We have a wide selection of smoke shop products ! 

Note: Must be 21 or older to purchase this product

Pars Market LLC

9400 Snowden River Parkway

Columbia, MD 210451

(443)-259-0002

http://www.parsmarketcolumbia.com

http://hookahshopshishastore.blogspot.com

Business Hours:Open Daily: 9am-9pm

Open on All Holidays! 365 Days a Year!

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