Smoking pipes from Asia

Despite the great variation, the smoking pipe in Asia is characterized by a relatively small pipe bowl. Tobacco is scarce in most regions. Another reason for the small bowl is that people smoke hash or other stimulants more often.

In the Near East people smoke from pipes strongly inspired by the products of the Ottoman Empire. In the shape we often recognize the Turkish chibouk. Clay is a favorite material, although the finish of the pipes is not as beautiful as in Europe. Metal is a worthy alternative.

In India, in addition to the traditional pipe with bowl and stem, a tubular so-called chillum is smoked. It occurs in earthenware but also in bronze or wood covered with metal. Tobacco is consumed in it, mixed with some hash. The smoke is cooled by holding it briefly in the hands held together in a sphere before inhaling it. The Naga, in Northeast India, make wooden pipes in the style of the European pipe, decorated with human figures on the stem. Since the warriors of this people are headhunters, they often cut off the heads of these figures too!

In China the stemmed tobacco pipe is used next to the water pipe. Both types of pipes are smoked with very fine notched tobacco. In China and especially in Korea, the bamboo stems of tobacco pipes are often extremely long. In addition, the opium pipe has been popular throughout China, but also in other parts of Southeast Asia, intended for intoxication. We know other well-known tobacco pipes from the Hill Tribes in Thailand or the Philippines. In that respect, every tribe or region in Asia has developed its own smoking equipment.