Shisha is not just about smoking..

its breaking down barriers and combining cultures.. it’s an experience.

Our Shishe lounge is a tranquil secluded getaway in the heart of Queensway. Come and enjoy a traditional pot of tea and sweets or dine in our secluded getaway Shishe lounge.

We offer a cozy getaway for anyone who loves a great Shisha with variety of flavours from Al fakher to Starbuzz combined with enticing menu.

We invite you to experience all the traditional delights and hospitality of the Manoush restaurant in contemporary surrounding, fusing history and the present time.

Shisha history

The origin of the Shisha waterpipe is from the time of the Safavid dynasty in the Persian empire which extended into India to where it also spread during that time.

Shisha soon reached Egypt and the Levant (Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan) during the Ottoman dynasty where it became very popular and where the mechanism was later perfected.

In the Middle East and Arab world, people smoke Shisha waterpipe as part of their culture and traditions. Social smoking is done with a single or double hose hookah, and sometimes even triple or quadruple hose hookahs in the forms of parties or small get-togethers are used.

The exact date of the first use of ḡalyān - قلیان  in Persia is not known. Although the Safavid Shah ʿAbbās I strongly condemned tobacco use, towards the end of his reign smoking ḡalyān and čopoq had become common on every level of the society, women included. In schools, both teachers and students had ḡalyāns - قلیان  while lessons continued.

Shah Safi of Persia (r. 1629-42) declared a complete ban on tobacco, but the income received from its use persuaded him to soon revoke the ban.

The use of ḡalyāns-قلیان  became so widespread that a group of poor people became professional tinkers of crystal water pipes. During the time of Abbas II of Persia (r. 1642-1666), use of the Shisha water pipe had become a national addiction. The shah (king) had his own private ḡalyān-قلیان servants.

Evidently the position of Shisha water pipe tender (ḡalyāndār) dates from this time. Also at this time, reservoirs were made of glass, pottery, or a type of gourd. Because of the unsatisfactory quality of indigenous glass, glass reservoirs were sometimes imported from Venice

In the time of Suleiman I of Persia (r. 1694-1722), ḡalyāns became more elaborately embellished as their use increased. The wealthy owned gold and silver pipes. The masses spent more on ḡalyān.