mihaffa
Various forms of covered animal-borne litters, chiefly for female passengers.
historical
7 The Mihaffa is, as its name implies, a litter so closed in that the curtains surround on all sides the sitter upon it...
Shir Khān... alleged as a pretext that he had a large number of families with him, and having placed two thousand armed Afghāns in closed litters⁷ sent them towards the fort.Various forms of covered human-borne litters and sedan chairs, chiefly for female passengers.
historical
Mohafa. This is the palanquin of rich females... it is entirely covered with a red lianging, and has no other ornament than a ball of copper at the top of the bambou... The Mohafa is carried by four servants, and attended by a number proportioned to the rank of the lady... Nevertheless the women who conform strictly to the precepts of their religion, are attended but by four bearers, however great their fortune.
Where it comes from
From Arabic مِحَفَّة (miḥaffa) directly and via Persian محافه (miḥâfah), Urdu محفہ (miḥaffa), and Hindi मिहफ़्फ़ा (mihaffā), related to Arabic حَفَّ (ḥaffa, “to enclose, to border”).
Adapted from the Wiktionary entry mihaffa (CC BY-SA 4.0).