Khanqah
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A khanqah (also transliterated as khanqa and khaneqa Persian: خانگاه khanegah and خانقاه khaneghah) is traditionally a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood, or tariqa, and is a place for spiritual retreat and character reformation. In the past, and to a lesser extent nowadays, they often served as hospices for Sufi travelers (Salik) and Islamic students (Talib). Khanqahs are very often found adjoined to Dargahs (shrinen of a Sufi saint), mosques and madrassas (Islamic schools). They are found throughout the Persian-influenced Islamic world, especially Iran, Central Asia and South Asia.
In the Arab world, especially North Africa, similar buildings are also found, which are known in Arabic as a Zawiya or Zaouia (Arabic: زاوية zāwiya, pl. زوايا zawāyā). In Turkey and Turkish-influenced areas like Albania and Bosnia, similar buildings are called locally Tekke or Tekye (تكيه).
It is not at all clear when Sufism emerged as a movement within Islam, or when the first khanqah was built. Sufis themselves trace their movement back to Muhammad; academic historians argue for later dates. Jonathan Berkey writes:
- One of the characteristic features of later medieval Sufism was the spread of institutions, variously known as khanqahs or ribats, complete with buildings and endowments which housed and supported the activities of the mystics. Their origins are quite obscure, but it is likely that their roots lie in ninth- and tenth-century Iran. (Berkey 2003 p. 157)
Khanqahs later spread across the Islamic world, from Morocco to Indonesia.
[edit] Architecture
All khanqahs, regardless of size, feature a large central hall. The daily ritual prayers incumbent on all observant Muslims, salat, are held in this hall, as are the specifically Sufi forms of dhikr, meditation and celebration of the divine.
Large khanqahs often grew up around the tomb of a tariqa's founder or the mausoleum of a Sufi saint. Ordinary Muslims may regard these khanqahs as sites of pilgrimage.
Some khanqahs include dwellings for the Sufi sheikh or pir, and his family, or cells for Sufis who wish to pursue their dhikr in quiet and isolation. They may also include lodgings for traveling Sufis and pilgrims and premises for charities such as hospitals.
Sufi movements have been banned in some Muslim-majority countries (such as secular Turkey, Islamist Iran, Wahabi Saudi Arabia, or the Communist and post-Communist states of Central Asia). In these countries, khanqahs have been converted to other purposes, turned into museums or mosques, or allowed to decay. In other countries, Sufism survives and the old khanqahs are still in use.
Today, more modern khanqahs are being built around the world. The Oveyssi-Shahmaghsoudi order which came as a force from Iran to the United States in the 1970's has opened many khanqahs around the world. In 2000, they built an indepedent standing khanqah outside Washington D.C., in Falls Church, VA. The significance of this Khanqah is that it was the first independent standing khanqah outside a "Muslim nation." The building is architecurally built as an eight-pointed star, with a central dome. On the top of all the domes is the name of God in Arabic; Allah. Both inside and outside of the building is adorned with the most beautiful Islamic art, from intricate wood work, plaster-work, stucco, iron gates, marble and granite floors to the more delicate paintings, mirror inserts, and Islamic calligraphy. The surroundings of the building is that of a beautiful garden, filled with flowers, trees, and the soothing sounds of the naturally running waters of a nearby creek-bed.
Since then, the Shahmaghsoudi order has opened two more of these beautifully designed khanqahs. September 30, 2005 marked the opening of the more modern, eclectic, and slightly art-deco khanqah in Dallas, TX. A unique factor of this khanqah is the central dome. It is made of glass and is lit from the inside at nighttime. The dome can be seen miles away in the city. The newest center is located in Los Angeles, CA and is more classically designed, this time in a more old-European style. To view interior and exterior pictures of the khanqahs: M.T.O. Centers (Khaneghah)
[edit] References
- Hattstein, M. and P. Delius -- Islam: Art and Architecture, 2000, ISBN 3-8290-2558-0
- Berkey, Jonathan -- The Formation of Islam, Cambridge University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-521-58813-8
