Majlis are gathering places for community members to engage in discussions on local issues, exchange news, have guests over, socialize and entertain each other.
Many Arab homes have a meeting room or front parlor used to entertain guests. In Saudi Arabia, the responsibility of decorating the rooms in the house usually falls to the women who decorate them themselves or trade with other women to do it for them. Across Yemen's Asir Province and neighboring towns and cities, "majlis painting," or nagash painting, uses geometric shapes and bright colors.
Majlis is also the name of legislative councils or assemblies in some Islamic-majority states. Also used to refer to a private place where guests are entertained (a lounge, or salon, in British English and French, or a saloon on a ship). Majlis shares its roots with the Arabic verb for sitting, julus (cf. British English 'sit' and 'sit down'). Dewaniya is derived from the Persian word "divan," which is itself derived from the Sumerian word dub.
The term 'council' has Arabic and Persian roots and describes gatherings of various kinds between common interest groups, whether administrative, social, or religious in countries with linguistic or cultural ties to Islamic countries.
Majlis is communities' meeting places, where they resolve problems, offer condolences, and celebrate weddings. There are usually carpets on the floor and cushions against the wall. A stove or fire is used to prepare coffee and other hot beverages.
The Majlis space is open to all people and may be a gathering place for family members, tribal members, and residents of the same neighborhood, or from other remote neighborhoods. Elders of the community are considered true bearers of the tribe's knowledge concerning nature and genealogy.
Religious sheikhs and judges play an important role in the Majlis, adjudicating disputes and clarifying rights and responsibilities in politics, social affairs, and religion. There is also a Majlis for women, although some prominent women attend other Majlis that are more academic or literary.
Majlis play an important role in the transfer of oral heritage, which includes folk stories, traditional songs, and ‘Nabati’ poetry. This knowledge is mostly transmitted informally as children accompany the community members to Majlis. When young people observe elders in the Majlis, they learn the manners and ethics of their community, dialogue and listening skills, and respect for others' opinions.
Although Majlis is informal, this private place where house guests and friends are entertained by the family since hospitality is taken very seriously by many Muslims, host families take pride in providing their guests with a comfortable stay.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/majlis-a-cultural-and-social-space-01076) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majlis)