A majlis sofa for Doha is built to order, not bought off a shop floor. Sofhu manufactures raised Arabic majlis sets, and low Arabic floor sofas, in Türkiye from the wall measurements you send, in a U shape, L shape or single row, with 32 kg/m³ high-density foam. Shipping to Qatar is free, and the quote is given by measurement.
- Maker
- Sofhu, manufacturer in Türkiye
- Sizing
- Cut to your wall measurements
- Layouts
- U shape, L shape, single row
- Filling
- 32 kg/m³ (32 DNS) foam, no springs
- Covers
- Zippered, removable, washable at 30°C
- Shipping to Doha
- Free
On this page
Two very different rooms sit behind the search for a majlis sofa in Doha. One is the Qatari family majlis, placed by the entrance and in some villas built as a separate room with its own door for guests. The other is the living room of an apartment or compound house where a family from elsewhere in the Arab world, or from further afield, wants a low Arabic seating corner. Sofhu makes sets for both in Türkiye, cut to the walls of the room, and ships them free to Qatar. This page is the Doha companion to our country guide to Arabic sofas in Qatar.
The Doha majlis: a room with its own door
In a Qatari house the majlis is placed near the entrance, and traditionally it was the only room with windows onto the street. Guests sit low, with carpets on the floor and cushions against the wall, and coffee is poured from the dallah. Qatar is one of the four countries that put the majlis on UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage in 2015. Our Qatari majlis page covers the tradition in detail.
For furniture, the point is practical. Where the majlis is a long rectangle with the door on a short side, the seating wraps three walls in a U and the head of the room faces the entrance. That is the layout to plan around first.
Arabic sofa sets for a villa majlis
A full U shape is the standard request for a villa. It is built from repeating modules of seat, backrest and armrest, so the run can be as long as the wall. When you measure, note three things that often decide the design in Doha villas:
- where the split air-conditioning units and their drains sit, because backrests must lean flat against the wall
- which wall has the door, and whether a second door leads to a washroom or service corridor
- whether you want tray-top armrests between seats for coffee cups, as some Sofhu designs have
A villa majlis is normally ordered as the raised product. Sofhu’s Arabic majlis is built as fully upholstered units at sofa height, with a solid base and a tall fixed back. The piece below shows the idea: the seat stands on a lattice-fronted base instead of lying on the floor. If your family prefers to sit at carpet level, the Arabic floor sofa is the low alternative, a seat mattress with loose back cushions and armrest blocks.
The difference between the two approaches is set out in floor seating vs raised diwan, and the layouts are compared on the L-shape and U-shape majlis page.
Smaller jalsa sets for apartments and compounds
Much of Doha lives in apartments and compounds, in areas such as The Pearl, West Bay and Al Sadd. There the Arabic jalsa is usually one corner of a living room that also holds a dining table and a television. An L shape along two walls or a single row under a window is normally enough, and it leaves the centre of the room open.
Because nothing is fixed to the building, either product suits rented homes, and a floor sofa is the lightest to move. The pieces lift apart and can be laid out differently in the next flat. Our guide to a majlis for small apartments goes through the measuring and layout choices for tight rooms.
Sadu, velvet and the look of Souq Waqif
The old style most visitors remember from Doha’s heritage quarter is low seating in striped, woven cloth. That weave is sadu, and Qatari sadu motifs include stars, dunes and desert plants. If that is the feeling you want at home, ask for a sadu-pattern Arabic floor sofa like the red one in the gallery below. For a formal reception room, plain velvet with gold or cream detail is the more common choice, and the pieces in the gallery below show the range of colours.
Heat, humidity and fabric
Doha summers are very hot and humid. Indoors the air conditioning does most of the work, so the fabric question is mainly about cleaning. All covers are zippered and removable, and Sofhu states they can be machine washed at 30°C. Linen is described as porous with high moisture absorption, which makes it the cooler choice for rooms that are opened up in winter.
For a courtyard or roof terrace, Sofhu makes outdoor seating in water-resistant fabric that copes with light rain and moisture. No rating for strong sun has been published, so keep outdoor cushions under shade and ask about the fabric when you request your quote. See the outdoor majlis hub for the options.
Delivery to Doha and getting a quote
Each set is made after you approve the layout, then vacuum packed and sent from Türkiye to your address. Shipping is free. Duties or taxes may apply depending on the destination, so confirm this with Sofhu before ordering. Ordering a majlis in the GCC explains the steps.
To start, measure the walls and send them through the quote by measurement form or on WhatsApp. Buyers elsewhere in the country can read the pages for Al Rayyan, Lusail and Al Wakrah.
