The hookah pipe is actually a water pipe and they have four main parts to them. The base or chamber is what holds the water and it should be partially filled. The bowl or head of the hookah pipe is where the tobacco is placed. The heating device sits on top of the hookah pipe and the pipe itself connects the bowl and the base with a tube that goes into the water. The hose actually connects to another tube in the pipe that is for the air in the smoke chamber.
While the parts of the hookah pipe functions do not change, they do vary in decoration. For example, the heating device is most often charcoal, however, in places such as the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia, the heating device may be an electric heater. Another change to the design may include instead of two hoses, there may be three or more attached to a single chamber. These hoses may be permanently connected or ones that are detachable, depending upon the elaborateness of the design.
For many artists, the hookah pipe was another way to express themselves and show off their skills. The glass bottle was often made from a colored glass that was blown into a variety of shapes and then it was etched or painted. The hose may have been decorated with beadwork or even embroidery and the mouthpiece was often made from a precious amber or fine porcelain and if the hookah pipe was to be unique, it was often made with gems inserted into the design.
