Plural of diwan; councils or courts in Muslim countries, or collections of poems or literary works.
From Arabic dīwān, originally meaning 'register' or 'accounts book,' later evolving to mean an official council or court. The word entered English through Persian and Ottoman Turkish as European powers encountered Muslim administrative systems.
The word 'diwan' traveled from Arabic administrative offices into English as a sophisticated term for both government institutions AND collections of poetry—same word for two completely different things! It shows how the same organizational concept inspired both bureaucracy and artistic compilation.
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