Pipe Smoking in the Middle East

[peckinpahhombre]

I am heading to the middle east on Monday morning for a number of business meetings. I'm going to Dubai for a couple of days and then to Oman for a couple of more days. Anybody know how either of these two countries view pipe smoking (or smoking in general)? Will have some down time between meetings and was thinking I would bring a couple of pipes and a bit of tobacco to smoke, but I'm not sure how this would be viewed there.

 

[uberam3rica]

I know whe have a few mebers from the middle east who smoke a pipe. I don't know anymore then that.

 

[rayje589]

I feel like anyone who does smoke a pipe in the mid. East is probably viewed as English. Also may want to look into how much, if any, tobacco you could bring into the country. I feel like they would be pretty lax on their tobacco though.

 

[cleidophoros]

You could have problem finding the blends you are used to but other than that no one cares if you smoke a pipe or not; just mind the smoke-free zones and you will be fine.

You can get some tobacco from the duty-free shops in the airport if you need to.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

I had planned to bring a tin of escudo. I will only be there 4 days in total so that would be way more than enough. When I have traveled in the middle east before, I have always used my Irish passport, not my Canadian passport. My rationale is that very view people dislike the Irish - the Irish have been too busy with internal struggles over the last 100 years to piss off too many other countries (save for maybe the UK)! lol

 

[chakaraka]

Interesting vantage. Too bad they don't make little Irish flags for American's to sew on their backpacks. :P I have heard so many stories about other nations passing themselves off as Canadians while traveling for safety. I have never considered that Ireland could be a preferable option. Maybe our accent is easier to pull off? Interesting perspective though.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Canada has been involved in Afghanistan ( we lost over 100 soldiers there), which isn't real popular in many corners of the middle east. Further, Canada and Dubai have been having a spat because Canada refused to grant extra slots at Pearson airport (Toronto) to the Emirates airline. As a result of this spat, a couple of colleagues who recently travelled to Dubai said that Canadians were being singled out and subjected to "special screening" measures when they landed in Dubai. They told me it took them 4 hours to get out of the airport after the interrogations and retina scans. The last thing I want is some clown at the airport to smile at me while he straps on a rubber glove.

 

[cedeks]

I would say it is much easier to find tobacco in Dubai than Oman. Mainly you can expect Peterson and W.O.Larson. however, it will be in the range of 25-30 USD for the tin. MB is also available for a bit cheaper prices. In Dubai airport you can find also captain black for around 30 USD per box (5 pouches).
As I recall pipe tobacco is hard to find in Oman.
Good luck in your trip

 

[yadan]

Pipe smoking (other than hookah smoking) is not so prevalent in the Mideast, so I think this advice
"You could have problem finding the blends you are used to but other than that no one cares if you smoke a pipe or not; just mind the smoke-free zones and you will be fine."
makes good sense.

 

[zonomo]

I would thinki pipe smoking is no prob in the Middle East. Isn't Latakia from Syria and Cyprus?

 

[yadan]

zonomo said:
"I would thinki pipe smoking is no prob in the Middle East. Isn't Latakia from Syria and Cyprus?"
No connection, zonomo. The Turks produce great tobacco and meers, but hardly smoke them.

 

[cleidophoros]

We do produce tobacco; we sell it to you so you can sell it back to us in various forms. We do make pipes too but it's just to get your monies.
Pipe, in its modern form, is a western invention; it's not part of our culture.

We had pipes in Ottoman times of course; small clay bowls with extremely long stems such as these silver ones;

or the more common ones such as this one

Talk about a churchwarden eh..
Similar pipes were also used to smoke opium;

And of course the hookah

Hookah is still here but with nasty tobacco.
The clay bowl called "lüle" is small, not glazed and has a specific form as far as I know.

I might have found this particular one here, the picture is from a local newspaper.

 

[rockrat]

I spent a little time there back in 08 and had no problem at all finding cigarettes. I'd bring a tin or two to last for your visit. Be aware of "no smoking" signs, and I see no issues. Smoking is pretty well accepted. If you are in Dubai, try to stop by Mall of Emirates...blew my mind. Spent best part of 2 weeks there and passed alot of time wandering around inside. Be advised, Thursday and Friday is considered "the weekend" and that place gets MOBBED! Also, your personal space is NOT observed, and I found that really disconcerting. Folks will walk within inches of you. Took awhile to get used to it. Some neat shops there though, might be worth seeing. Good luck...

 

[peckinpahhombre]

Thanks guys. I am in Dubai now - it is the middle of the night and I cant sleep a wink because my body says it's 6pm Was at some mall today that has a full indoor ski hill (in the middle of the desert). Photos below are of the Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the world). Believe or not, the mall had vending machines that sold gold bars! So far, haven't lit up the pipe but I did buy a cigar at the hotel.

 

[schmitzbitz]

In Dubai, you won't have much of a problem, although as others have already pointed out, bring your own tobacco - you can find a few blends in country, but most of the tobacconists are very cigar-centric, offering only OTC blends. I seem to recall the duty-free in the airport had W.O Larsen, Peterson and a few of the STG blends available. I haven't travelled to Oman, so I'm unsure how you will find it there.

I would also suggest looking for a mediwakh and some dhokla while in the Emirates. The mediwakh is a very small pipe (similar to a kiseru in size), while the dhokla is a granulated tobacco/herb mix. It's awesomely potent stuff if you're a fan of the vitamin N, and is pretty damned tasty stuff.
To expand a little on what cleidophoros has said, tobacco smoking has been taking place in the Middle East for as long as it has in the European West - however, the Ottoman Empire also produced some of the most vehement of anti-smokers in recorded history. In 1633, the Sultan Murat the 4th implemented a standard penalty for people caught smoking - first, they would have their noses pierced, and the pipe stem inserted for a parade through town. Once they had been shamed, they would be sentenced to death through drawing and quartering, or, if the Sultan was having 'a good day', they would simply have their hands and feet crushed. Fortunately, nicotine is a hell of a drug, and after murdering (by some accounts) upwards of 20,000 smokers, the law was rescinded in 1647.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

first, they would have their noses pierced, and the pipe stem inserted for a parade through town. Once they had been shamed, they would be sentenced to death through drawing and quartering, or, if the Sultan was having 'a good day', they would simply have their hands and feet crushed.

Don't give the anti-smoking lobby in North America any ideas!

 

[rlunderhill]

They smoke pipes there. You'll be fine.

 

[ssjones]

I'm not surprised by a gold bar vending machine! Thanks for sharing the pix, it's unlikely I'll ever make it to Dubai.