aljamal®
A passion for hookah
The aljamal hookah manufactory is a family business with very high standards of quality, design and enjoyment. As a new manufacturer in the premium hookah segment, we are passionate about developing unique creations based on traditional models.
This passion for hookahs began a few years ago with the purchase of an Egyptian metal hookah in Cairo. We tried our hand at everything from traditional to ultra-modern hookahs in search of the “non plus ultra”. The experiences in smoking and taste led to a ranking: What tastes better to us; the well-tried, traditional hookah technique or the ultra-modern combinations of glass and stainless steel?
Our demands in terms of appearance, smoking behaviour, taste development as well as the feel of the hose played an increasingly important role, because for us the hookah not only means relaxing moments to switch off, but also became a hub for communication in the family and with friends after work, at barbecues and around the campfire.
“Both building the head and smoking it take time, and that is perhaps the fascination of a hookah, in a time that flies by faster and faster and in which more and more is demanded. The hookah forces us to pause for a moment, to take a break.”
In 2015, the decision was made – we constructed a hookah according to our ideal ideas in design, taste and feel, which unites all our preferences. At the beginning of 2016, we founded the aljamal hookah manufactory. The name “aljamal” comes from Arabic and means “beauty”.
And this is exactly our intention to develop a hookah that is enchantingly elegant and an eye-catcher without equal. Handcrafted perfection through CNC turning technology from Germany, in design a homage to the traditional Syrian hookah, manufactured in solid, shimmering brass, high-quality stainless steel and a base made of luminous Bohemian glass. These are our unique hookahs that promise the highest level of enjoyment, a smooth rich “bubbling” and a unique smoking and taste experience.
Our hookahs are the perfect composition of tradition and modernity, impressive hookahs for the eye and the pleasure. Each aljamal is in its own way a unique work of art, each base a handmade unicum from Bohemian glass manufacture. The solid brass smoke column is lovingly and individually refined, each one bears a serial number. Accessories of the highest quality, innovative products made of high-quality materials, designer fabrics from renowned manufacturers and also custom-made products are part of our repertoire.
The origins of the aljamal hookah manufactory – our little story, or how I discovered my passion for hookah
My passion for the hookah began a few years ago when my daughter bought an Egyptian ‘tin pipe’ in Cairo. That first ‘encounter’ with the shisha remains an unforgettable experience for me, and as is often the case in life, once you’ve taken up a new hobby, you end up spending hours reading about it online. As an old man, I hadn’t a clue about Facebook. Then, at some point, I stumbled across an online shisha shop. Yes, brilliant. So I bought myself an Aladin. Does anyone here know it?
My expectations – and those of my family – grew, and in no time at all we’d progressed in our hookah knowledge. Facebook also became a small part of my life. I gathered information in various groups and bought more hookahs – ranging from traditional to state-of-the-art models – in search of the ‘ultimate’. Our experiences with the smoking and flavour profiles led us to draw up a family ranking: which did we prefer – the tried-and-tested traditional shisha or the modern combination of glass and stainless steel, such as a Kinimod? Our expectations regarding appearance, smoking characteristics, flavour development and the feel of the hose also played an increasingly important role, because for us the hookah wasn’t just about relaxing moments to unwind; it also became a focal point for communication within the family and with friends after work, at barbecues and around the campfire. At some point, nothing could quite live up to my ideals anymore, even though we’d already accumulated a collection of 20 hookahs, some of which were really expensive.
Building my own hookah – my first aljamal shisha
My 50th birthday was approaching. I decided to treat myself to a unique, truly beautiful shisha – a water pipe built exactly to my own specifications. Yes, but how was I going to go about it? After extensive research, I found a prototype maker in the local area. You could, in effect, hire his workshop and machinery. Under his guidance and with my rough plans for a brass smoke column, I clamped the first thick brass rod into the CNC lathe. Then, together with him, I programmed the approximate shape of what is now the aljamal Su.
It was an indescribable feeling to see a piece of metal gradually take shape, becoming something that until then had only existed somewhere in your mind. Then the CNC stops turning, and you take something incredibly beautiful out of the oil-stained casing. I had tears in my eyes.
Now you’ve got a smoke column and no one knows whether the thing actually works.
I’d never designed my own valve or chamber before.
So off home I went, into the bowl I went, and off we went.
It worked – the thing smokes and tastes absolutely brilliant; my very first homemade hookah.
But I’d just pushed a stainless-steel tube through it – that can’t be it; anyone can do that. So, on to the next challenge: how do I sort this out? What about bowls of different heights, the ratio between height, smoking chamber and draught, and – most importantly – the draw?
I’ll leave this ‘first one’ as it is; I’ve still got plenty of material left, so I’ll make myself a second one! The most important thing now: the inner tube and the immersion tube. It needs to be easy to clean – after all, the thing weighs 6 kilograms and is 90 cm long; you can’t just pop it in the sink to give it a quick wash. OK, the tube will be split, but how do I reconnect it afterwards? The diameter needs to stay the same – I’ve got an idea. The tube needs to be completely removable, but how do I seal it to the column? Another idea: off to the workshop and let’s give it another go. Number 2 is finished, and because it was such fun, I’m going to make a third one straight away. My birthday pipe is finished.
From a hobby to a new product
It was inevitable that, as well as my family, friends would also smoke my pipe. I first ‘unveiled’ it to the public at a shisha gathering in Frankfurt. In preliminary discussions with a few VIPs from the scene, the response was: ‘A German can’t possibly build a traditional shisha.’ The announcement of my “creation” was often dismissed with a chuckle and the remark, “Ha ha, Harry’s making a shisha.” Few of the people who were very active and well-known in the Facebook shisha scene at the time supported me, including my dear friend Muzi Shakur.
In short, after I unveiled my first homemade shisha, the ‘smile’ faded – the response was overwhelming. I was more or less urged to put it into production. OK, let’s give it a go then. The little one needs a name: the label ‘aljamal’ (Arabic for ‘beauty’) – that suits me just fine! What should I call my shisha?
Maybe I’ll make more! My head is buzzing with ideas – the 5 elements. My first shisha will be called “su” – Turkish for “water”. So, first things first: technical drawings, registering the name and the product with the Patent Office, and so on.
The letter from the Patent Office has arrived – I’ve got my own trademark!
It all begins on 1 January 2016: we are founding the aljamal hookah manufacturer.
To this day, I still cannot take this development and the success of the aljamal brand for granted. That is why I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me and my ideas. And, of course, all my customers and friends who have kept this ‘aljamal project’ alive to this day – especially my wife Damaris; without her, none of this would be possible. Yes, and she sews our wonderful aljamal hoses.
Are you still smoking or are you already enjoying?
aljamal – Born from passion for hookah!