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khanqah

A khanqah, also spelled khāneqāh, is a building or complex used as a Sufi lodge or spiritual retreat where dervishes, mystics, and seekers live, study, and practice devotional disciplines. The term, of Persian origin, connotes a house of retreat or contemplation and has been used across the Islamic world to designate a place for instruction, guidance, and communal worship.

Historically, khanqahs emerged in the medieval period as centers for Sufi orders, serving as hubs for teaching,

Architecturally, a khanqah usually includes living quarters for residents, a prayer or meeting hall, a courtyard,

Today, khanqahs survive as active lodges in some regions and as historical monuments elsewhere; they are studied

dhikr
(remembrance
of
God),
poetry,
and
music,
as
well
as
for
lodging
and
provisioning
travelers.
They
vary
in
form
by
region:
in
Iran,
Afghanistan,
and
Central
Asia
they
were
often
attached
to
specific
Sufi
fraternities;
in
South
Asia
they
functioned
as
religious
and
social
centers;
in
the
Ottoman
world
they
evolved
into
tekkes,
mosque-inspired
complexes
with
guesthouses;
in
North
Africa
analogous
institutions
are
known
as
zawiyas.
kitchens,
and
sometimes
a
library.
It
provides
spiritual
guidance
through
a
master
or
sheikh
and
offers
instruction,
dhikr
(recitation
of
God’s
names),
reading,
and
charitable
service
to
guests.
Membership
is
often
associated
with
a
tariqa
or
Sufi
order.
as
sources
of
religious,
social,
and
architectural
history
and
as
manifestations
of
Sufi
practice
and
community
life.