In Yemen the majlis is the guest room, the mafraj or diwan of the Sana'a tower house, furnished with low, firm seating around the walls. Sofhu's Arabic floor sofas follow that layout, and its raised Arabic majlis suits a more formal room. Both are made in Türkiye to the buyer's wall measurements and ship free worldwide. For an address inside Yemen, confirm delivery with Sofhu before ordering.
- Yemeni names
- Mafraj, diwan, majlis yamani
- Made by
- Sofhu, manufacturer, in Türkiye
- Set includes
- Seat cushions, backrests, armrests; rug, ottoman and curtains on request
- Foam
- 32 kg/m³ (32 DNS) high-density foam; softer or firmer on request
- Shipping
- Free worldwide
- Delivery to Yemen
- Not confirmed in advance; ask Sofhu for your city
On this page
Yemen gave this kind of seating one of its best-known forms. When people elsewhere search for a Yemeni majlis or a Yemeni diwan, they are describing a room that Yemenis know from home: low seats around every wall, tall backrests, an armrest for each person. This page sets out what the Arabic majlis is in Yemen, how Sofhu’s made-to-measure sets relate to it, and what can honestly be said about delivery, both to Yemeni families abroad and to Yemen itself.
The mafraj and the diwan
In the tower houses of old Sana’a the mafraj is the room at the top. It has low windows on several sides so that seated guests can look out over the city, and above them coloured glass fanlights set in gypsum tracery, the qamariya. It is often the most decorated room in the house. Family quarters lie on the floors below, and in the afternoon and early evening the mafraj is where friends and relatives gather. That afternoon sitting has its own name, the maqil.
The diwan is a sitting room in the same kind of house, usually the larger one, used when more people come.
By custom both rooms are furnished the same way. Low mattresses run along the walls, backrests stand behind them, and armrest bolsters divide the places so that each person has something to lean on through a long sitting. The middle of the floor stays open.
A fuller account is on the style page, Yemeni diwan and mafraj seating.
How a Sofhu set relates to the Yemeni majlis
Sofhu is a manufacturer in Türkiye and makes two products. The Arabic floor sofa is the one that follows the layout described above: low seat mattresses, loose back cushions and armrest blocks around the wall, in a U, an L or a single row. The star-pattern sets on this page are floor sofas. The Arabic majlis is raised to sofa height and fully upholstered, with a solid base, tall fixed backs and arm bolsters; two single majlis units appear in the gallery.
The burgundy floor sofa above is an L with cream eight-point stars and a matching fringed rug. The navy set at the top of this page is the same design in another colour, shown with an ottoman and three tasselled floor cushions.
A note on the star. These star fabrics are Sofhu designs, and older Sofhu pages sell the sets under a Yemeni majlis name. We do not claim the star as a documented historical Yemeni textile. If your family remembers a particular cloth, stripe or colour from home, send a photo and ask whether a close fabric is available. The guide to majlis patterns and motifs shows the options.
What is confirmed about the build:
- Cushions are filled with 32 kg/m³ (32 DNS) high-density polyurethane foam and contain no springs.
- Custom orders can choose a softer or harder foam, and different cushion thicknesses.
- All covers are zippered and removable, and Sofhu states they can be machine washed at 30°C.
- A full set can include a carpet or kilim, curtains, an ottoman, pillows and wall decor.
The close-up shows a cover being unzipped on a cream star-pattern cushion. For the name and purpose of each piece, see the parts of a majlis set.
Made by hand, cut to the room
Each order is cut for one room. The photograph shows fabric for a cream star-pattern set being cut on a workshop table. Because the set is built from your wall measurements, it can run the whole length of a long, narrow room or stop short of a door, as the room requires. Sofhu’s designers can go through the plan with you on a video call. The custom majlis hub and Sofhu’s existing page on custom-made Yemeni majlises explain the choices.
Yemeni families abroad
Many people who look for a Yemeni majlis are not in Yemen. They are Yemeni families in the United States, Britain and elsewhere, furnishing a family home or a room for guests. Yemeni communities abroad include Dearborn and Hamtramck in Michigan, the Bronx and Brooklyn in New York, and Birmingham, Sheffield and South Shields in England.
The rooms abroad are different from a mafraj. A basement in Michigan or a terraced house in Sheffield has no top-floor view. The seating plan carries over well all the same.
This navy and cream star floor sofa sits along one wall of a sunlit living room with an ottoman and floor cushions. It is a single row, the size that fits most family rooms.
| Room abroad | Layout that usually fits |
|---|---|
| Apartment living room | Single row, or a short L |
| Basement or spare room | L or U, wall to wall |
| Dedicated guest room | U around three walls |
Sofhu’s existing page on Yemeni majlises for the USA is written for American buyers, and the existing Yemeni majlis page describes the product. Businesses can read about Yemeni coffee house seating. For the neighbouring Kingdom, there is the existing page on the Arabic sofa in Saudi Arabia.
Delivery to Yemen itself
Here it is right to be plain. Sofhu offers free shipping worldwide and states that it delivers to every point of the world. It has published nothing specific about Yemen. Whether a parcel of this size can be carried to a given Yemeni city, and by what route, depends on conditions at the time of the order.
So do this before anything else:
- Send Sofhu your city and delivery address.
- Ask whether delivery there can be arranged now.
- Only then settle the design and the quote.
If delivery to your address is not possible, one alternative is to send the set to a relative abroad. Duties or taxes may apply depending on the destination country. Ask Sofhu about that too.
Ordering, step by step
Measure each wall at floor level, mark the doors and windows, and photograph the room. Send these with the layout and colours you have in mind. Sofhu replies with a design and a quote. The finished set is vacuum packed for the journey. The full process is in how to order a custom majlis online.
If you are comparing traditions first, Yemeni vs Saudi vs Moroccan majlis sets them side by side, and the wider range is on the Arabic majlis hub.
To begin, get a quote by measurement or write to Sofhu on WhatsApp.
