Nargile

Although the Nargile (pronounced NARG-EE-LEH), or the Turkish water pipe, is no longer at the center of Istanbul's social and political life; it used to be very important part of the Turkish Culture. There are fewer than a dozen nargile salons left in Istanbul, and a very few in other Turkish cities. These cafes are the remains of thousands that sprouted here after the first tobacco leaves arrived from America in 1601. Nargiles soon became important status symbols and offering one to a guest became an important sign of trust, where withholding it could be taken as a serious insult. In 1841, a diplomatic crisis broke out between France and the Ottoman Empire after the sultan declined to offer the French ambassador a chance to smoke with him.

It takes about an hour to smoke a pipe-full of fruit tobacco, two hours for the stronger essense. The smoke is noticeably cooler than cigarette smoke, and lightly intoxicating. Before long, the water begins to turn brown; smokers say it is filtering out many of the harmful substances that they would otherwise be inhaling. The nargile might be popular in other countries as well but you should try to enjoy smoking it with the view of the Bosphorus lying in front of you...