{{unreferenced, date=July 2017
Dakkah ( ar, دكة) is a kind of external
couch
A couch, also known as a sofa, settee, or chesterfield, is a cushioned item of furniture for seating multiple people (although it is not uncommon for a single person to use a couch alone). It is commonly found in the form of a bench with u ...
attached to the house, usually built of bricks or the same material as the house and then covered with fabric. Dakkahs were very common in the traditional buildings of the
Arab World
The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
, people gathering on the dakkas to talk and sip tea.
The dakkah is found more often in rural settings, where the house faces a farm or an open space. It is used for informal visits, whereas the
majlis
( ar, المجلس, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning "sitting room", used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural conne ...