Malabar Hookah:
A 300+ year-old tradition of crafting
royal smoke pipes
We are on a mission to revive this exquisite craft, a vestige of centuries of Malabar-Arabia relations.
Craftsmen of an unassuming port town in north Malabar, Koyilandi, has been hand-crafting an exquisite craft, called Koyilandi Hookah, using brass, coconut shells, silver, and more. And the tradition is on the verge of extinction.
This is a website to support Malbar Hookah and its last remaining makers. You can read about the craft here, and order directly from the makers.
Crafting Malabar Hookah
Crafting a Malabar Hookah is an artful process that spans over a week to complete. It is a craft that is entirely handmade, showcasing intricate designs that demand masterful craftsmanship.
Raw Material
The process involves a range of raw materials, including wax, lac, tree resin, wood, coconut shells, various clay types, and metals like copper, zinc, and silver. The traditional Lost Wax casting method is employed.
Preparation
Creating the cylindrical tube, housing the tobacco bowl, involves skillful fashioning of coconut tree wood, primarily using the shells of a local coconut variety known as the "Kuttiyadi Coconut."
Process
The process includes crafting a wax and lac stencil slab, firmly attaching it to a wooden frame. The wax mold is immersed in a mixture of clay and cow dung to achieve a flawless surface.
Final Stage
Molten metal is poured into the mold, carefully removed from the furnace to cool, and meticulously polished. Paper bitumen is employed to seal any openings, ensuring a leak-free Hookah.
This captivating smoking device is known by various names: Qalyan in Iran, Shisha in Turkey, Nargileh in Arabia, and 'Nargila' in Hebrew. It's fascinating to note that "Nargileh" and ‘Nargila’ are believed to derive from the Sanskrit word "Nalikera," meaning coconut, a nod to the use of coconut shells in Hookah water chambers.
In many Middle Eastern nations, particularly Yemen, this craft held significant cultural value, cherished by both Muslims and Yemeni Jews, who referred to it as Mad’ah. When Yemeni Jews emigrated to Israel in the 1950s, they carried the legacy of Koyilandi Hookahs with them.
