The dewaniya or diwaniya was the reception area where a Middle Eastern man received his business colleagues and male guests. Today the term refers both to a reception hall and the gathering held in it, and visiting or hosting a dewaniya is an important feature in the
culture of Eastern Arabia
There is a rich and ancient culture in Eastern Arabia. The culture in this region has always been oriented towards the sea.
The semiannual tradition of Qarqe'an (قرقيعان) is deeply rooted in Gulf culture. The Eastern Arabian cuisine inclu ...
.
The word is first attested in
Sumerian as ''dub,'' found in
clay tablet
In the Ancient Near East, clay tablets ( Akkadian ) were used as a writing medium, especially for writing in cuneiform, throughout the Bronze Age and well into the Iron Age.
Cuneiform characters were imprinted on a wet clay tablet with a sty ...
.
It is comparable to the
Diwan-khane
Divan-khane ( fa, دیوانخانه) is a Persian phrase from (''divan'' = court) + ('' khane'' = house) to describe a guest house or room. It is akin to the great hall of medieval Europe.
In tribal Middle Eastern, Arab, Persian, and Kurdish ...
of
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
households, and derives from the word
divan
A divan or diwan ( fa, دیوان, ''dīvān''; from Sumerian ''dub'', clay tablet) was a high government ministry in various Islamic states, or its chief official (see ''dewan'').
Etymology
The word, recorded in English since 1586, meanin ...
, meaning a formal council room in
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
and other regional languages.
Dewaniya became a fundamental part of
Kuwaiti life. Hence, it has become a mark in their traditional daily life.
Origin
''Dewaniya'' derives from the Persian ''
divan
A divan or diwan ( fa, دیوان, ''dīvān''; from Sumerian ''dub'', clay tablet) was a high government ministry in various Islamic states, or its chief official (see ''dewan'').
Etymology
The word, recorded in English since 1586, meanin ...
'', which itself is derived from
Sumerian ''dub,'' in
clay tablet
In the Ancient Near East, clay tablets ( Akkadian ) were used as a writing medium, especially for writing in cuneiform, throughout the Bronze Age and well into the Iron Age.
Cuneiform characters were imprinted on a wet clay tablet with a sty ...
, which meant a formal room for sitting and negotiation, and is used to designate a
royal court
A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...
, a high
government ministry, or a
council of state
A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...
. The contemporary form has come to mean a well-known place where people, traditionally men only, can meet to discuss political issues and other sociopolitical issues. One well-known
Dewan
''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the e ...
is the
Prime Minister of India's Dewan.
Additionally,
Dewan
''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the e ...
is an Arabic term of Persian origin. The original meaning may refer to a "bundle (of written sheets)", hence "book", especially "book of accounts," and hence "office of accounts," "custom house," "council chamber". The meaning divan "long, cushioned seat" is due to such seats having been found along the walls in Middle Eastern council chambers.
Purposes
The Dewaniya served an important purpose in the development of Kuwait over the last 250 years by facilitating quick communication and consensus building among other things. There are many type of Dewaniyas that have evolved from the original archetype and they differ only in terms of the groups they serve and the level of formality.
The Dewaniyas are the core of Kuwait’s social, business and political life, the places where topics of interest are discussed, associates introduced, alliances formed, and similar networking activities undertaken. Formal Dewaniyas may be convened to discuss particular topics, sometimes with invited guest speakers. They are also called for particular purposes, such as election campaigns. Formal Dewaniyas are the root of Kuwait’s consensual political system.
Elections
The influence of visiting Dewaniyas by the National Assembly Candidates is very visible. Being a direct communication mean between the Electors (Voters) and the Candidates in all the different districts in Kuwait.
A list of Dewaniyas in the different areas is prepared from day 1 of Elections, and the Candidates schedules appointments to visit the influential Dewaniyas before the Election day trying to maximize their reach in one of the most powerful tools in Elections.
Business
Many people were wondering how does major deals are closed or initiated in Dewaniya, and why does that happens in Kuwait specifically.
Basically, as Dewaniya being place where prominent people in the Government from Ministers, Chairmen of Public companies, prominent people in Oil sector, to undersecretaries. And Businessmen, Banks chairmen, CEO's of multinational corporations, they all receive their guests weekly or monthly in their family dewan or private dewaniya.
People who visits a decision maker in his dewaniya, it force him by tradition to gently listen and be open to what they say. Which gives a big chance for people who has a good proposal to deliver a proper value proposition in the offering, which then ends up with another formal meeting at the decision maker office to do the formalities. And also considering the place to be the best to build connections.
As a conclusion, Dewaniya is a place where communication is done with a very proper attention from the decision maker.
Types
Dewaniya has several types, private, public and family. The private is just for close friends who usually gather daily and public are fixed with a weekly timing where anyone can visit, while family dewaniya, is an official gathering of prominent family, where all people can come and meet the family members.
Family dewan or dewaniya
This was the original form of the Dewaniya that started when each family (only a handful in the 18th century) very known as the ''Family Dewan'' would set up an extension to their main home to host guests and discuss important issues. This would also be the place that wedding ceremonies and funeral rites would be held for the male side of the family. The elders of the family are usually in attendance and sit at the head of what is usually a U-shaped hall to welcome guests and lead the discussions.
Political dewaniya
These Dewaniyas are a relatively recent development of the 20th century when Kuwaitis started seeking political rights and more representation in a system that had become more skewed towards an absolutist rule by the
Emir
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...
in contrast to the more participatory consensual system that existed earlier. It is considered as a public Dewaniya.
Casual dewaniya
These Dewaniyas are usually organized by groups of friends of the same age group on one member's property. This type is usually the most relaxed with participants playing cards
Janjifa like Koutbo6, smoking Shisha (sometimes called the
Hookah), watching football games and other sports, or playing video games. It is considered as a private Dewaniya.
Times
Most Dewaniyas start after the sunset till midnight the whole year round and recently it started having a break in summer.
Janjifa
In Dewaniya, many cards games are played. To mention some of for reference:
Business and technology usage
Because most Kuwaiti men and youth are tied-up with a Dewaniya, it was a must from large corporations and multinationals to introduce services like
Dewaniya SMS
The dewaniya or diwaniya was the reception area where a Middle Eastern man received his business colleagues and male guests. Today the term refers both to a reception hall and the gathering held in it, and visiting or hosting a dewaniya is an impor ...
from Zain Kuwait. The idea is to keep the Dewaniya members in-touch with each other using the SMS, and keeping everyone up-to-date with the activities going on in the group.
Other companies are packaging its products to be sold for Dewaniyas specially food & beverage companies
Because these are a big market that they can tap in by their offers.
The more technology advances, we see Dewaniya members getting in touch with each other by creating a micro version of their Dewaniya on BlackBerry Messenger groups, Whatsapp groups, Beluga, private Facebook groups, and Twitter. To share what needs an instant update for all the Dewaniya members like invitations, or funerals.
Food and beverages
Every Dewaniya has its own offers of Food and Beverages, yet they all commonly offer tea and coffee (Arabian) for its guests. Depending on the occasions, you will find some Dewaniyas offering dinner based on specific occasions (newborn, graduations, new job, Hajj).
Coffee and tea
You can't find any Dewaniya which do not offer regular tea. Arabian coffee is another important beverage in any Dewaniya. Yet the different types of tea (Green tea, White tea) is an option, depending on the Dewaniya owners wish to serve. In modern Dewaniyas, you would find the luxury of the espresso machines, cappuccino and mocha for more convenience visitors.
Dessert
Starting from dates (fruit) that you find most Dewaniyas offer, till sweets. Is something that many Dewaniya owners assure to offer for attendees specially for Dewaniyas that open their doors for more than 6 hours a day.
Dinner
On occasions, or sometimes weekly, you find Dewaniya owners inviting guests for dinner or even for the Dewaniya regular attendees. Dinner in Dewaniya is more popular on occasions like elections, newborn, graduations, new job, or Hajj.{{citation needed, date=July 2013
See also
*
Divan
A divan or diwan ( fa, دیوان, ''dīvān''; from Sumerian ''dub'', clay tablet) was a high government ministry in various Islamic states, or its chief official (see ''dewan'').
Etymology
The word, recorded in English since 1586, meanin ...
*
Diwan-khane
Divan-khane ( fa, دیوانخانه) is a Persian phrase from (''divan'' = court) + ('' khane'' = house) to describe a guest house or room. It is akin to the great hall of medieval Europe.
In tribal Middle Eastern, Arab, Persian, and Kurdish ...
, a room which serves a similar function in
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
households
*
Divan (Mughal architecture)
Diwan or Divan is a term of Persian origin referring to various types of reception halls. The term occurs in various examples of Islamic architecture, where it can also refer to a government council chamber (related to the ''divan''), as well as in ...
- the dewaniya as used in
Mughal architecture
References
External links
Kuwaiti Dewaniya e-GuideKuwait Travel GuideAbout Kuwait explaining the dewaniyaKuwait Government Description about DewaniyaDewaniya Information in Kuwait
Kuwaiti culture
Society of Kuwait
Arab culture
Executive ministers
Heads of government
Heads of state
Rooms