Whenever I told friends and family that I was co-founding a shop for cannabis accessories this has been met with pleasant surprise and curious questioning. “I tried it once” or “It was never really my cup of tea, but I knew people who smoked and even dealt hashish”. 
That’s how my well-traveled aunt and uncle, themselves ethnologists and collectors of artifacts, came to give me this narghile, which had originally been presented to my uncle’s grandfather as a token of gratitude. My uncle’s grandfather, originally from southern Germany, was based in Genoa and maintained business ties to North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean as a fur trader. During his travels, he began collecting 19th-century weapons from the Ottoman region.

One of his business partners was captivated by a particular weapon model, leading to a trade in which the narghile changed hands. While my uncle’s family eventually auctioned off the weapon collection, the narghile remained and has now been passed on to me. Now I just need to decide where to display it in my Berlin apartment.

The term narghile is derived from the Persian nārgil, which in turn stems from the Sanskrit word nārikela (coconut). At the time, it was the preferred water pipe in the Muslim world. Invented by the Persians, drawing on early African pipe designs, it is said to have played a significant role in international trade.
Coconuts from South India were traded for hashish from Central Asia. The bulbous, sturdy shell was ideally suited as a water vessel. The design principle "form follows function" applies as well. My narghile features a smooth, hand-hammered metal cap and ornate borders. It’s lovely that these relics have been preserved and actually serve me as a reference. I love the creativity and craftsmanship that went into creating the books and the narghile!                                           

Maybe our Paff Berlin objects will be similarly appreciated and passed on in the future. That was our hope from the very beginning.