Coming soon to the bench

sit with your people.

merkaz is a place for the people you actually know. No strangers, no ads, and a feed that ends.

One email when your seat is ready. Nothing else.

The bench outside the house

In the old quarters of Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah, the merkaz is the wooden bench outside a house or a shop, where the neighbours sit after maghrib. Tea goes round. News goes round.

Nobody sells anything on a merkaz. Nobody sits there who isn't known. And at some point everyone gets up and goes home.

That is the app.

المركاز ما يقعد عليه غريبNo stranger sits on the merkaz.

Every neighbourhood has more than one bench

The family, the padel crew, the book club. Each community carries only what it needs: a calendar, a map, a place to talk. The organiser keeps it, the way the umda kept his merkaz.

Nobody counts heads

Your page is for the people who already know you. No public follower counts, no reach, and no leaderboards of people. You add someone, they add you back, and that's the whole system.

The old merkaz always had a game going

Ours does too. Challenge a friend, beat them, and bring it up on Thursday.

Rules of the bench

No stall on the bench

Your profile and feed stay free of ads. We earn from communities, events and tools.

We know who's sitting

Every person is real and verified. Safety is part of the place, not a settings page.

Everyone goes home

Nothing is infinite. Feeds end, and the app is designed to be put down.

Nobody counts heads

No public follower counts, no reach, no leaderboards of people.

The umda keeps his merkaz

Organisers run their communities with only the modules their group needs.

There's room on the bench.

One email when your seat is ready. Nothing else.