Greek Poster from 1993

ΤΟΥΜΠΕΚΕΜΠΟΡΕΙΟΝ

Παν. Δ. Ανδρονίκου 

Οίκος Ιδρυθείς τω 1873

Tumbeki Trade Company

Pan. D. Andronikos

Founded in 1873

Published and printed by the Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive (ELIA) Athens in 1993

Dimension approx. 48 cm x 33 cm

Tumbeki Trade refers to the commerce of tumbeki, a specially processed tobacco used in hookahs (narghiles). The term comes from the Turkish “tömbeki”, which originates from Persian. The tumbeki trade flourished mainly in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when hookah smoking was widespread in the Ottoman Empire, Greece, the Middle East, and North Africa. Greece played a key role in the production and distribution of tumbeki, with regions like Kavala and Xanthi being known for their high-quality tobacco. Tumbeki was a moist and heavy type of tobacco that required soaking in water before use to achieve the right consistency for burning in a hookah. With the rise of cigarette smoking in the early 20th century, demand for tumbeki declined, leading to the gradual disappearance of the trade. While hookah smoking persists in certain communities today, tumbeki production has shrunk significantly, mainly for traditional or specialized uses.