Arabic-L:LING:'dikka' responses

[Dilworth B. Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Thu 18 Oct 2001
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1) Subject: 'dikka' response
2) Subject: 'dikka' response
3) Subject: 'dikka' response
4) Subject: 'dikka' response
5) Subject: 'dikka' response
6) Subject: 'dikka' response
7) Subject: 'dikka' response
8) Subject: 'dikka' thanks

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1)
Date:  18 Oct 2001
From: Yaser Al-Onaizan <yaser at isi.edu>
Subject:  'dikka' response

Greetings,

I do not know the etymology of the word, but the word is commonly used (at
least in Saudi) in two contexts. A sport's team substitutes bench is called
"dikat al-iHtyaaT" which obviously took its name from the bench that the
players set on. It is also used to refer to an outdoor setting place that is
typically higher than the level of the ground. I'm not sure if and how this
is related to the English word Deck.

Regards,
Yaser
USC/ISI

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2)
Date:  18 Oct 2001
From: Waheed Samy <wasamy at umich.edu>
Subject: 'dikka' response

From a modern Egyptian perspective, as opposed to an
Islamic architecture one, a dikka is a simple bench.
The sort found by the entrance to a house, for example.

Waheed

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3)
Date:  18 Oct 2001
From: mughazy <mughazy at students.uiuc.edu>
Subject:  'dikka' response

Hi Dil
Dikka is exactly what you described. It is some sort of a raised platform or
‘couch’ (a big kanaba 3arabi) made of wood and usually it has no cushions. It
is long enough for at least four people to sit comfortably, and wide enough to
sit cross legged (merabba3). You can see it anywhere in rural Egypt whether in
Upper Egypt or the countryside. Sometimes, it is replaced by a bench-like
brick or mud structure attached to the front of the house. The function of
that piece of furniture is for male visitors to use if they are not welcome to
the house. That might be because they arrived unexpectedly, the patriarch is
not at home, or the house is not ready for receiving guests. Also, it is used
as the place where ‘the guys hang out’ without causing discomfort or
imposition on the female members of the household. It also has a social
function in that it signals the social status of the household; the bigger and
nicer it is, the higher status attributed to the family especially that it
represents hospitality.

Unlike the dikka you see in front of houses, the one in mosques is very
decorative. It has a high back and legs, and it is upholstered usually with
red velvet and the wood is painted with some golden color. It functions as a
seat for the moqre` or whoever reads the Qur`an (sometimes two individuals who
alternate) or for a sheikh while giving a religious lesson. That explains why
it is high; students or the mureedeen can see the imam, and he can see them
when they ask questions.

As for the etymology, I do not know. However, I would guess that it is derived
from the verb (ittaka`) meaning to lean or sit comfortably, and the initial
stop was devoiced into /t/.
Hope that helps.
Thanks

Mustafa A. Mughazy
Graduate student
Depatment of Linguistics
University of Illinois
Urbana Champaign

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4)
Date:  18 Oct 2001
From: Humphrey Davies <hdavies at aucegypt.edu>
Subject:  'dikka' response

A description of the "dikka" in the mosque and of its function for the
Friday prayer may be found in Lane's "Manners and Customs of the Modern
Egyptians" (pp.81 and 85 in the 1860 edition; Lane transliterates "dikkeh").
In the same Lane also provides descriptions of the use of the dikka in
domestic and other contexts.  In his Lexicon (under "dakka", the literary
form), Lane does not give an etymology , but notes that Arab lexicographers
relate the word to "dukkaan", which some regard as Persian in origin (which
would fit with its being a one-off, with no relation to other items under
the root d-k-n).

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5)
Date:  18 Oct 2001
From: dwilmsen <dwilmsen at aucegypt.edu>
Subject:  'dikka' response

Both Wehr and Hinds/Badawi call identify the word as "bench", from the verb
"to tamp down" or "to level off".  It looks like it is a perfectly good native
Arabic word.

As far as I know, the purpose of the piece of furniture was for someone sit
(or stand in prayer) to relay the utterances of the Imam back to the faithful
as they prayed.  This would have been before the age of the microphone!  I
have seen it used for just such a purpose in more modern mosques, even those
equipped with microphones.

David

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6)
Date:  18 Oct 2001
From: MaryAnn Walter <walterma at MIT.EDU>
Subject:  'dikka' response

In Hadramaut and some other areas of Yemen, where houses are built from
mud brick, the 'dikka' or 'dukka' is a raised area around the base of
the house, also made from mud.  It can be from a few inches to three feet
high -- the function is to protect the foundation of the house from
erosion by flash floods.

I believe Salma al-Damluji's books on mud brick architecture in Yemen
might have more information, and illustrative photographs.

MaryAnn Walter
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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7)
Date:  18 Oct 2001
From: Alfordwelch at aol.com
Subject:  'dikka' response

I'm sure others are better qualified to provide a definitive answer
to this question, but I can shed a little light on the function of
the dikka. The term comes from the verb dakka, and means a "bench" or
a "level platform". This structure, which is most frequently seem in
Turkish mosques, is also called a dakka. The origin of the structure
I don't know, but I do know at least a couple uses it has.

I was told by an art history specialist in Cairo that its purpose was
originally to keep the congregation together when performing the
Friday prayers, in the large, usually domed mosques, where many, if
not most, of the worshippers could not see or hear the imam. An
assistant would perform the Salat while standing and sitting on the
dikka, a raised platform in the center (or often to the right of
center, near a column) of the worship area. From the beginning, I
found this explanation curious.

I know that in some mosques the dikka is used by professional Qur'an
reciters, sometimes during the Friday services, but more prominently
during special services, such as those held during the evenings of
Ramadan, when one-thirtieth of the Qur'an was recited each night of
the month.

One curious thing about the dikka is that, unlike the minbar (which
normally has just enough space for the khateeb, it is often large
enough for several "performers". I have heard that in some mosques
two or more Qur'an reciters will sit together on the dikka to recite
on special occasions.

My comments, as you can tell, are more in the nature of a further
inquiry into the origins and uses of the dikka, rather than an
authoritative answer to the questioner. Surely my comments will
elicit a number of responses from people who have first-hand
experience or specialist knowledge, neither of which, I must admit, I
have.

Alford T Welch
Michigan State University

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7)
Date:  18 Oct 2001
From: Dil Parkinson <dil at byu.edu>
Subject:  'dikka' response

Thanks for all the responses!  My colleague was thrilled to get so
much information, and I personaly learned a lot.  Thanks again.
Dil

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End of Arabic-L:  18 Oct 2001