The Khanqah: Sufi Lodge

Definition

A khanqah (خانقاه), also known as a zawiyah in North Africa or tekke in Ottoman lands, is a building designed for the gathering of Sufi practitioners (dervishes) for spiritual retreat, communal dhikr, and instruction in tasawwuf. Khanqahs served as centers of spiritual life, education, and social services across the Islamic world.

Origins and Spread

The earliest khanqahs appeared in Iran and Central Asia in the 9th-10th centuries CE, developing from informal gathering places of ascetics into formal institutions. By the 12th century, khanqahs were found across the entire Muslim world. The Ayyubid and Mamluk dynasties in Egypt and Syria were particularly generous patrons, establishing hundreds of khanqahs. Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi converted several Fatimid palaces into Sunni khanqahs as part of his program to re-establish Sunni orthodoxy in Egypt.

Functions

Khanqahs served multiple functions: a place for communal and individual worship, a center for teaching the Islamic sciences and spiritual disciplines, a residence for traveling scholars and seekers, a kitchen providing food for the poor (many khanqahs operated public soup kitchens), and a hostel for wayfarers. The shaykh (spiritual master) of the khanqah guided disciples through stages of spiritual development.

Architecture

Typical khanqah architecture included a prayer hall, cells for individual retreat and contemplation, a samakhana (hall for dhikr and spiritual audition), a kitchen, and a library. Some large khanqahs, like the khanqah of Baybars al-Jashankir in Cairo, were architecturally magnificent, rivaling the finest mosques and madrasas.