Encyclopedia of Islam

tekke 

(Turkish rendering of Arabic 

takiyya 

“place of support,” “place of rest”)

Many terms are used to refer to the meeting places 

of 

dervishes

—tekke, dargah, zawiya, asitane, khan-

qah, ribat—often interchangeably, but sometimes 

with distinctions as to size, type, or function. The 

term  tekke (Turkish rendering of the Arabic taki-

yya) is most often used for lodges in the Ottoman 

or Turkish context, and especially for those of Sufi 

orders that were strongly influenced by Turkish 

culture, such as the Mevlevis and the Bektashis.

Dervish lodges can be linked historically to 

the frontier outposts set up during periods of 

Islamic expansion, when dervishes were involved 

in conquests. Many were located strategically on 

important roads or mountain passes or in recently 

conquered towns and cities. Once non-Muslim 

lands were conquered, dervish life was organized 

into stable orders and the structure of the lodges 

came to reflect this.

In general, the dervish lodge consisted of a 

communal residence for dervishes and/or a meet-

ing place for dervishes who live elsewhere. Some 

lodges also served other functions such as provid-

ing lodging for travelers and feeding the poor. Most 

tekkes were linked to a particular Sufi order and 

were designed for the particular practices of that 

order. While the lodges varied widely in size and 

facilities, many included the tomb of the founding 

saint

 and later shaykhs, a 

mosqUe

, space for ritu-

als such as the 

dhikr

 and samaa, cells for solitary 

prayer

, rooms for dervishes and for the 

shaykh

,

guest rooms, bathrooms, a kitchen, and storage 

rooms. Many lodges were supported by agricultural 

production and included stables for animals. Most 

lodges were administered by pious endowments 

known as waqfs. In addition to activities related to 

the day-to-day maintenance of the lodge and to Sufi 

rituals, some tekkes also served as centers for the 

study and production of arts, especially 

mUsic

 and 

calligraphy

. Their primary purpose, however, was 

the spiritual 

edUcation

 and training of dervishes.

See also s

UFism

; 

tariqa

.

Mark Soileau