Tehran bans smoking water pipes in public
For centuries. its rich aroma and ornate design have formed an integral part of Persian culture. But now the hubble bubble - or water pipe - is set to disappear from Iran's traditional restaurants and tea houses as part of a stringent government anti-smoking drive.
Health watchdogs are to collect the distinctive smoking devices from eating and drinking establishments under a sweeping purge of tobacco products signed into law by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
It will mean the end of a pastime which is popular throughout the Middle East but has long been regarded as a decadent indulgence by Iran's Islamic authorities.
However, the government insists its motivations are health-related and has cited expert opinion saying the hubble bubble is potentially more dangerous than cigarettes.
Despite its benign image, recent studies suggest the amount of cancer-causing agents inhaled from smoking a hubble bubble equals that of a cigarette. The overall effect can then be compounded by the longer time it takes to smoke the pipe.
Known locally as qalyoun - inhaling fruit or mint flavoured tobacco, heated by charcoal - through rubber or wooden tubes is popular in provincial towns and cities, especially in the more traditionalist south. Families and picnickers are commonly seen smoking from the often extravagantly patterned devices in public parks. That will be illegal under the new regulations.
The habit is believed to have caught on in Iran during the 17th or 18th centuries after originating in India.
There have been previous attempted crackdowns. The last, two years ago, resulted in some establishments forbidding women from indulging on the grounds that it encouraged public flirting and mingling between the sexes.
But the latest ban is likely to have greater force after being approved by the powerful guardian's council, a body of clerics and judges charged with assessing the religious and moral suitability of legislation.
The government is setting up a host of enforcement measures in a broad package that also bans smoking in all public buildings, workplaces and public transport and outlaws selling cigarettes to under-18s.
