12 - The Nargile

The nargile, or hookah, is an intrinsic part of Turkish culture. It's been used forever, and continues to be a central social element.

Nargile cafes are very popular places, where Turks come to relax, play tavla (backgammon), drink çay, and smoke nargile.

The tobacco used with the nargile comes in many different flavours (my favourite is Kavun - melon), which is the main reason it's so popular. You don't have to inhale if you don't want to. Smoking nargile is more about enjoying the flavour of the smoke, rather than getting a buzz from the tobacco.

As the smoke is filtered through the water in the nargile, it's very light and soft - nothing like cigarette smoke. It also doesn't linger on your clothes, so you don't have to worry about that nasty tobacco stench you can have after coming home from a bar.

The nargile looks very exotic, and is one of the few ancient Ottoman traditions that still exists to this day in Turkey. It has not changed much in the hundreds of years it's been around.