Talk:Tekkes

Merge seems OK to me. However, if we're going to have tekke and khaneqah, we should also have names from other countries. Not that I can supply any . Zora 13:48, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

There is some overlapping, but a Tekyeh and Khaneqah are not the same thing. A "Tekyeh" is a place of mourning for Shi'a saints. A Khaneqah is a Sufi monestary. Different things happened in them, and they mean different things to different people. And their architecture is not even the same.

If anything, you should be merging Tekkes with Tekyeh. But not even that. Because it seems a Tekyeh has emerged into a different meaning when diffusing outside the boundaries of traditional Persia. (i.e. into Turkey e.g.).--Zereshk 17:07, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

Hmmm. The Sufi Journal seems to think that they're the same thing:


 * This is why traditionally when a young man first came to a Sufi tekke, or khânqâh (Turkish and Persian for 'Sufi center or hospice'), he was given the most mundane or debasing tasks, for example cleaning the latrines, sweeping the courtyard. For the first few years he might be given no spiritual practices at all, only simple tasks of service.

Sufi centers, as I understand it, are usually built close to a saint's tomb. Hence there doesn't seem to be any hard-and-fast line between being a monastery and a place of remembrance for the saint. Zora 19:41, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

hmmm, I think youre misinterpreting the sentence. Example:


 * "I can access a computer at the university, or at Kinkos/FedEx".


 * Question: Is Kinkos/FedEx therefore = University?


 * Answer: No.

Also, in a Tekyeh, remembrance is made of only Husseyn ibn Ali. By "saints" I meant the 12 imams, particularly Husein. That is not the case in a Khaneqa. But then again, I'd have to doublecheck my sources oon this.

Therefore, in spite of the aforementioned, I do not have access to my primary sources of info on these issues at present. And I wont be having them until early January. So I will lay off definitive arguments on this matter until then (unless I find something else).--Zereshk 06:06, 28 November 2005 (UTC)


 * As I understand it, Sufis don't care as much about legalities, and sects, as other Muslims do, and there are a number of Sufi orders (such as the Bektashi) that can't be easily classified as Sunni or Shi'a. Therefore it seems somewhat unnecessary to distinguish between Sunni and Shi'a sufi centers.


 * Perhaps some of the Sufi editors would have interesting views on this subject. I wish Ifaqeer were still here. Zora 06:54, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

I consulted my dictionary of Islamic architectural terms. Tekyeh and Khaneqah are not the same thing. They have separate meanings, and separate entries. There is no tomb inside a Tekyeh. Tekyeh provides no housing. It is only a place of mourning for Ashura. But then again, "Tekke" may be different. And I still have to check some other sources.--Zereshk 23:14, 5 December 2005 (UTC)

Per the dictionaries
Online Turkish dictionary (first hit on Google)

1. dervish lodge. can. jug. poky. 2. dervish lodge. 3. Lit "corner," a dervish gathering place, synonymous with Khaniqah and Zawiyya. 4. The dominant Turkmen tribe in the second half of the nineteenth century, makers of a great variety of refined weavings Their carpets, eagerly collected by Europeans, were baptized 'Royal Bukhara' by merchants wishing to enhance their appeal. 5. A large Turkoman tribe currently inhabiting the northeastern part of Iran and the area around Herat in Afghanistan 19th century rugs are very sought after by collectors today and the rugs' designs are usually of brownish red fields decorated with rows of repeated guls Asymmetrical knots are used on a double wefted wool foundation Warps are usually ivory and the wefts are brown Knot counts are high The Tekke gul is an indented octagon.

Found on ImamRezaNet ( the cache, link doesn't work):


 * Pers. Khaniqah; Ar-ribat, zawiyah; Turk. tekkiye

Zora 23:28, 5 December 2005 (UTC)

That said, there are likely to be differences in building styles, depending on the area. A mosque is a mosque, but mosques are built in wildly different styles. It would be useful to have a series of floorplans and photos showing regional or historical differences. There might also be differences between styles of various Sufi orders. I'm not sure that any of this information is available, but it would sure make an interesting book. Scope for someone who write, do historical research, and take photos. Zora 23:31, 5 December 2005 (UTC)


 * Persian dictionaries separate Tekyeh and Khaneqah. Neither of the words Tekyeh or Khaneqah are Turkish. They are both Persian. But I'm not going to press on this issue.It's not really life threatening. because even if merged, we can specify in the text of the merged article, the variations and differences.--Zereshk 02:30, 16 December 2005 (UTC)

I have finally just received my complete 20 volume dictionary of Dehkhoda I had ordered. In it, Tekke, Tekyeh, and Khaneqah are defined to be the same thing.

If Dehkhoda says it's the same, then it is the same.

Therefore Zora is correct, an I agree with a merge.

However let us make a note that Takyehs have come to signify a slightly new meaning as of the Qajarid era as well (place of mourning).--Zereshk 05:49, 10 January 2006 (UTC)

Re-introduced the desciption of a ritual within a tekke from the Evan's article. I simply don't see why it is irrelevant to consider what happens inside these structures, especially considering that that knowledge is being lost as they are being taken over, particualarly in the balkans, by serbs and state authorities [User=Nygdan|Nygdan] 1-18-2006