A keshta chair is a low seat you take on a desert outing. The Arabic sunbed from Sofhu is a padded folding floor lounger for that job: it lies flat as a mat or props its backrest on a folding metal frame, so it needs nothing behind it on open sand. It is shown with an armrest block and a carry bag.
- Seat type
- Folding padded floor lounger
- Backrest
- Self-supporting on a folding metal frame
- Colourways shown
- Maroon medallion; beige star bands
- Shown with
- Armrest block and carry bag
- Under it
- A kilim or flat rug on the sand
- Shipping
- Free worldwide
On this page
When the weather turns mild, the car gets loaded: rug, firewood, the dallah, the tea kettle, a cool box, and something to sit on. A keshta chair is that last item. It has to fold small, carry easily and be comfortable on sand for hours. The Arabic sunbed, new to the Sofhu range, is a folding floor lounger built for this kind of trip.
What a keshta is
Keshta (كشتة), also written kashta or kashtah, is the Gulf word for an outing into open country. Saudipedia describes it as a trip with family or friends to a place outside the city, such as desert, a valley or open plain, taken when the weather is mild enough to stay outdoors for a long time. In Kuwait the cooler months are known as camping season, when families set up in the desert.
The details change from one family to the next. Some go for an afternoon and drive home after dinner. Some pitch a tent and stay the weekend. What stays the same is the pattern: a rug on the ground, a fire, coffee and tea, food, and people sitting together with nowhere else to be.
That pattern is the reason seating matters. You are on the ground for a long time, and not everyone is comfortable cross-legged on a rug for four hours.
Why a low folding lounger suits the desert
A keshta is a floor-level gathering. Tall camp chairs put you above the rug, the coffee and the people sitting on it. A floor lounger keeps you at the same level as everyone else while giving your back something to lean on.
The Arabic sunbed is a padded mat in three panels. The back panel lifts and rests on a folding metal frame behind it. There is no wall in the dunes, so a seat that supports itself is what the place calls for. Fold the frame in and the sunbed lies flat, which is how you would use it to stretch out after lunch.
It is a different product from the seating in a home. An Arabic floor sofa is a cushion set for a room and has to lean against a wall. The Arabic sunbed is one portable seat per person.
Setting up: rug first, then the seats
Start with the ground. Pick a flat spot, clear stones and smooth the sand. Lay the rug before anything else. The photos show three versions that all work: a red striped kilim under the maroon sunbed, a plain beige rug under the beige one, and one large cream rug shared by both.
Then place the sunbeds on the rug and open the frames. Two arrangements suit a small group:
- Side by side, both facing the fire and the view, with the low table and stove off to one side. Good for watching the sunset.
- Facing each other across the low table, so the coffee is within reach of both seats. Better for conversation.
Put the matching armrest block where your elbow falls. Leave sandals at the edge of the rug so sand stays off the fabric.
Tea, coffee and the fire
Keep the fire downwind and a few steps from the rug. Sparks travel, and no flame-resistance information has been published for the sunbed fabric, so distance is the safe rule. In the photos the fire is set well back from the seating.
A low folding table between or beside the sunbeds holds the small gas stove, the dallah, the kettle and a plate of dates. Sitting at floor level, everything on a low table is at hand height. A basket of oranges on the rug finishes the picture and gives the children something to do.
Pour hot drinks away from the seats. A spill on an upholstered cushion in the desert cannot be washed out until you are home.
Packing the 4×4
The sunbed folds and is shown with a carry bag, so it travels as one piece per seat. Load the sunbeds and the rug last, because they come out first when you arrive.
Sofhu has not published the folded size or the weight yet. If you are planning for a specific vehicle, or want to know how many will stack in the load space next to the firewood and the cool box, ask for the specification sheet when you request your quote.
After the trip, shake each sunbed out away from the rug, fold the frame in, and brush the hinge lines between the panels. Store it dry.
Maroon or beige for the dunes
The maroon colourway has diamond medallions in navy and cream on a deep red ground. On a red kilim at sunset it looks like part of the rug. The beige colourway has bands of star motifs on cream, and on a plain rug it is calm and light.
If you are buying two, one of each is a fair choice. The photos of the pair beside a white 4×4 show how well they sit together.
Beyond the desert trip
The same seat works for the rest of the year. It goes to the coast and the park, as described in the sunbed for beach days and picnics. At home it sits on the terrace next to an outdoor majlis bench set.
Camp operators who furnish tents for guests have different needs from a family with one car. They should read majlis seating for glamping and desert camps and the sunbed for hotels, resorts and glamping.
Ordering for the season
Sofhu is the manufacturer and ships free worldwide. Send the colourway, the number of sunbeds and your country through get a quote or WhatsApp, and ask for the specification sheet at the same time. Order before the weather cools, so the seats are in the car for the first trip of the season. Sofhu will tell you on the quote how long your order takes.
