Saudi ‘Diwaneya’ makes its way to the US with Arabic coffee, Al-Jawf sweets

Arab hospitality is brought to the US in this new Saudi “Diwaneya” where the smell of Arabic coffee, popular dishes, and incense fill the place.

A Diwaneya is a traditional reception area where a man receives his business colleagues and male guests, mostly in Gulf countries.

The Diwaniyah is an ambitious project carried out by the Saudi scholar Sattam Ayed Saadi al-Ramali al-Shammari who transformed his parking lot into an authentic Arabic hospitality spot.

Doctoral student Hammad Al-Thabti at the University of Al-Jouf recorded a video, in which he documented Sattam’s project which found a lot of support on social networking sites.

"I decided to establish a traditional Saudi majlis in my garage to introduce our culture and heritage to the US and provide a space to reconnect with Arab and Gulf citizens in the States, Sattam who is studying for a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at the University of South Illinois in the United States told Al Arabiya.

He intended his project to help him relax from the pressures of studying and also to extend the directives of our wise leadership which calls upon scholars abroad to be ambassadors to the country and the best representative of the image of his religion.

At the Diwaniya, visitors would find Baghdadiya, Arabic coffee, Indian cheeses, Iranian saffron, ground ghee, olive oil, al-Jawf deserts.

The Saudi Diwaniya drew positive reactions from the Americans including the landlord of Sattam's house who has become one of the permanent visitors and supporters to facilitate the arrangement of the place.