Rehal (book rest)

A rehal (Urdu: رحل, Hindi: रिहल, Bengali: রেহাল, Arabic: رَحْل) or rahle Turkish: rahle) or tawla (Arabic: طاولة), is an X-shaped, foldable book rest or lectern used to hold religious scriptures for reverent display, as well as during reading or recitation. It is designed to collapse into a flat form for portability and storage when not in use. This book rest, which is usually made of wood, but also increasingly made of other materials such as plastic, is commonly used by Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Eastern Christians. Used historically for many generations in South Asian and Arab countries, it is used both to hold and ensure respect for holy books (such as the Qur'an in Islam, the Ramayana in Hinduism, the Japji Sahib in Sikhism, and the Bible in Christianity) by keeping them elevated off the floor.