Today, the lure of inhaling the tobacco smoke is known by many names across the world some of which are fumeur, rauchen, fumo, kitsuen, rook, fumador, tadkhin, yari kkada, de fumar. Annals of the History tell us that the habit originated thousands of years ago, as far back as 500 BC. While modern smoking is widespread through cigarettes, connoisseurs yearning for a taste of the old, prefer the traditional forms of smoking.
Medwakhs, the Arabic cigar pipes, find a pride of place along with the native hookahs and shishas in the Middle Eastern world. From the common acrylic to robust metal to traditional wood to exotic camel bone, Medwakhs are made from different materials. Even the designs are named quite interestingly, with terms such as beetle’s juice, frog in a blender, tiger’s paw, Turkish falcon, desert storm and more.
A Medwakh piece usually comes in a cloth carrying case and includes a filter to be put at the end of the pipe; some newer models come with an in-line filter to be inserted inside. The tobacco that is used in the cigar pipe is called “Dokha” of “Dook”; it is a blend of finely shredded tobacco, herbs, spices, barks, flowers and leaves. Unlike the tobacco used in the modern day cigarettes, Dokha is not artificially steam-cured. Naturally cured in the arid and hot desert climate, it retains a high degree of flavour and freshness.
When you become the proud owner of a Medwakh pipe, there are quite a few accessories that you would do well to buy alongside. The first would be a “Chanta”, a Dokha container that allows you to carry around a day’s requirement of the tobacco, between 3 to 7 grams. Chantas are usually made of a metal like brass or aluminium, while the exotic ones are made of wood and camel bone. Next would be a Chanta funnel to easily fill up your Medwakh with Dhoka from the Chanta. The funnel also helps when you are blending different Dhokas from different Chantas. Other paraphernalia includes a reaming rod, bowl spade, and a tamping tool; you could find all three in a single multi-tool.
Al Jazira at Mall of the Emirates, Bin Khumairy at Al-Minah besides Capital Hotel, Rabsha in Satwa, near the bus station and Yousef Ridha, behind Abu Hail Centre are some of the best places in Dubai to get yourself a Medwakh and all its additional equipment.