The most primitive forms of the narghile can be traced back as far as 1000 years ago to the northwestern provinces of India. These pipes were highly primitive made of hollow sticks and coconuts. It was not until the early 1600s did the Turks create their vision for the narghile, which took on the form we are most familiar with today and were used to smoke "tombak," a dark, dried tobacco. Over the next century the narghile spread vastly throughout Persia and the entire Arabian Peninsula. In these early days, a narghile was socially enjoyed at coffee houses and after dinner with a non-alcoholic beverage such as tea or coffee.

Depending on vernacular, the narghile pipe is known by many different names, most of which generally come from the same meanings, describing the part of the pipe that holds water. In countries bordering the eastern Mediterranean Sea, shisha and narghile are very common terms with many spellings. In the Far East one could hear "huqqa," translated into English as "hookah," another highly widespread term.

In the early 1900s Egyptian tobacco factories developed a new, smoother tobacco for narghile pipes called "moaassel," a mixture of dried tobacco and flavored essences and molasses. Today smokers can enjoy just about any flavor of tobacco they can imagine.

Since the development of moaassel, the narghile has undergone an enormous revival in Eastern world societies and has become a growing trend in the West. Coffee houses serving narghile are becoming increasingly popular across countries of Europe and the Americas. Generally referred to as Neo-Orientalist Cafés, patrons are flocking as these venues are adding a contemporary element to the old coffee house tradition. What was once a cultural past time, the narghile has again proliferated but now, in all regions of the world.