Across centuries and continents, the hookah has been an instrument of cultural exchange and a symbol of reflection, refinement, and connection. European explorers introduced tobacco from the New World to the sophisticated elite classes of the Mughal and Persian Empires, where the hookah was born and elevated to a ritual and art form. With its intricate craftsmanship, adorned with artistic motifs, the hookah transformed into a status symbol and an aesthetic object. Ottoman culture popularized the hookah at coffeehouses, assimilating it into community and literary conversations. Western travelers encountering the hookah brought the custom back home, where it became a fashion in European social life. Today, the hookah has transcended borders to become a worldwide sensation.

In a fast-paced world, shisha offers a moment of stillness, a reason to gather, to relax, to have a meaningful conversation. The experience is not meant to be hurried, it’s about the connections that unfold through the smoke. While hookah has been beloved for centuries, it is continuously reinterpreted for modern times. The global hospitality brand HuqqA brings the heart of the shisha tradition vividly into the present, elevating it to a complete sensory and ceremonial experience in its luxurious venues.

Introducing the tradition and ceremony of the hookah to a wider audience, Mystic Mist: The Rituals of HuqqA explores the rich cultural history of shisha, and its worldwide social impact today among a new generation through the growing influence of the HuqqA brand.

Sarah Khan is an award-winning journalist with a wide range of expertise in travel, fashion, and food writing. Formerly editor in chief of Condé Nast Traveller Middle East, based in Dubai, Khan is a contributing editor at Condé Nast Traveler and has reported from seven continents for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Time, and other publications. Now residing in New York City, Khan has lived in six countries—Canada, Saudi Arabia, India, South Africa, the U.A.E., and the U.S.—and has 2.5 passports. She can be found at www.bysarahkhan.com. Oliver Pilcher has been a contributing photographer at Condé Nast Traveler for more than ten years. Born in Scotland, he studied sculpture at the Edinburgh College of Art before embarking on a photographic career in New York City. His captivating images have enabled him to shoot for some of the world’s finest brands and have led him on endless incredible journeys. Pilcher divides his time between New York and Costa Rica with his wife, Abigail, and their four children, Andalucia, Bianca, Constantina, and Herbie. Irem Kınay is the partner for Assouline in Turkey since 2010 and has initiated many books on the region, including The Grand Bazaar Istanbul, The Light of Istanbul, Portraits and Caftans of the Ottoman Sultans, Ottoman Chic, and Bosphorus Private. She is also the author of Turquoise Coast. Her passion for the arts and for books inspired her to launch the first Assouline boutique in Istanbul, which has become a celebrated destination for a wide range of titles as well as for specially selected accessories for sophisticated libraries.

Composition: Paper
Specification: Page count
256 pages

Number of illustrations
160

Language
English

Released on
November 2025

Cover materials
Silk Hardcover

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