khanaqahs

A khanaqah is a Sufi lodge or monastery in the Islamic world. It serves as a residence for dervishes and a center for spiritual retreat, teaching, and communal worship. Associated with a particular Sufi order (tariqa), a khanaqah functions as a training house for disciples under a spiritual guide, or sheikh. In addition to housing, it hosts dhikr (remembrance) gatherings, instruction in Sufi practices, and charitable activities such as feeding guests and travelers.

Historically, khanaqahs were prominent across the Persianate world and spread with Islamic rule to the Ottoman lands, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. The term khanaqah is Persian in origin; in Turkish contexts the same institution was called a tekke. In South Asia, khanaqahs and their associated dargahs often became centers of learning, poetry, music, and social welfare, supported by endowments (waqf).

Architecturally, a khanaqah typically includes a courtyard, a prayer hall, living quarters for residents, a kitchen, and sometimes a hospice or tomb of a revered saint. It functioned in close relation to mosques and madrasas, though it was distinct in purpose as a spiritual retreat and communal residence rather than a ritual community for daily prayers.

Today the number of active khanaqahs has declined in many regions, but some continue to operate as centers for Sufi practice, while others survive as historic monuments and tourist sites. They remain culturally significant as sites of devotion, teaching, and social welfare in various parts of the Muslim world.