From its beginnings more than 500 years ago in Turkey to its growing popularity as an exotic new social scene, the hookah bar culture has arrived in Fayetteville.

Smoking a hookah, also known as “narghile” in Arabic, has been a popular pastime since the days of the Ottoman Empire. Thousands of hookah bars sprouted up in Turkey after the discovery of tobacco in 1601, according to a New York Times article by Stephen Kinzer’s. At first, Sultan Murad IV banned the practice, forcing it underground. Within 14 years, he conceded to its popularity and lifted the ban, according to the article.

In ancient times, hookahs were sometimes used to smoke illicit drugs, according to Kinzer’s article. The sultans used to smoke a mixture of opium, perfume and crushed pearls. These days, the only substance legally smoked in a hookah is shisha, a mixture of tobacco, fruit flavors, honey and molasses.

The White Rabbit, a hookah bar on Wedington Drive, opened in July last year. Owner Barbara Villegas said that when she moved to Arkansas more than two years ago, she noticed there were no hookah bars like the ones she had frequented in her native state of California. Also, there were few options for those who didn’t want to drink alcohol.

In the dimly lit room decorated with gauzy curtains and groups of chairs, Villegas brought menus to the table. Patrons could choose from a variety of flavored shisha such as tropical punch, hazelnut, vanilla and even rose.

Jocelyn Forest, a regular at the White Rabbit said she doesn’t have a favorite flavor, “No, right now we’re just experimenting, but we really like strawberry French vanilla,” she said.

Fez Hookah Lounge, near Dickson Street, opened its doors in February. Owner Mohammed Khaldi, originally from Morocco, dispelled the myth that hookah bars are popular in Islamic countries. He had never encountered a hookah bar until he moved to Florida, Khaldi said.

He also serves coffees and teas “like a coffee shop,” he said.

Patrons can walk up to the counter to order their shisha and then retreat into the near-pitch-black lounge.

“It’s supposed to be for privacy,” Khaldi said, “to make you feel more comfortable.”

The ambience at Fez and White Rabbit are very different – where Fez is modern and formal, the White Rabbit is trendy and casual.

The White Rabbit hosts poetry slams on the second Tuesday of the month, but Khaldi said he has no plans for any live entertainment at the Fez. “It’s a very different place,” Khaldi said. “You can go anywhere and have music and dancing. This is more quiet, more private.”

One thing they have in common is that patrons come to relax and socialize. “I like coming here, meeting new people, having a good time,” said White Rabbit patron James Laningham.

“It’s got a good atmosphere,” said another White Rabbit patron, Rene Reed. “I do like the music.”

Despite the growing popularity, there are still some dangers to be aware of. The shisha contains tobacco, which is a proven carcinogen and cause of other health risks. However, an often-quoted study claiming that hookah smoke contained as much particulate matter (including nicotine and tar) as five packs of cigarettes a day was flawed, according to a study by Kamal Chaoachi, a researcher in socio-anthropology and tobaccology and a consultant in tobacco control in Paris.

Hookah smoking is at least somewhat safer than cigarette smoking, according to Chaoachi’s study, published in the European Journal of Public Health. Smoking from a hookah results in minimal release of sidestream, or second-hand smoke, according to Chaoachi’s study. Also, the mainstream smoke, because it is filtered through water and cooled through a long hose, is freed of many harmful irritants. Chaoachi’s study also referred to another study showing that hookah smoke contained one-third less nicotine than cigarette smoke. However, Chaoachi’s study still stressed that exposure to tobacco smoke is not beneficial to a person’s health.