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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.[citation needed]
The word is first attested in Sumerian as dub, found in clay tablet. [1]
It is comparable to the diwan-khane of Persian households, and derives from the word divan, meaning a formal council room in Persian and other regional languages.[citation needed]
Dewaniya became a fundamental part of Kuwaiti life.[2] Hence, it has become a mark in their traditional daily life.[3]