Khanqah - Architecture

Architecture

All khanqahs, regardless of size, feature a large central hall. The daily ritual prayers incumbent on all 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. The Wahhabi ideology may regard these khanqahs as sites of ascribing partners to God almighty due to their hard line stance on these issues. It is argued by supporters that such sites, as long as there is an absence of any Islamically illegal acts, are fully permissible.

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, Salafi 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. In other countries, Sufism survives and the old khanqahs are still in use.