Sufi Order Khanqah Network

Timeline

1. c. 1050–1150Baghdad · Baghdad GovernorateIn the 11th century, stable communities of practitioners and dhikr (remembrance of God) practice circles formed around Sufi shaykhs; the khanqah's functions as a place of teaching, almsgiving, and lodging gradually became institutionalized, becoming a religious space that transcended individual master-disciple lineages.
2. c. 1180–1190Damascus · DamascusIn the 1180s, the Ayyubid Sultanate and the cities of Damascus and Egypt patronized Sufi shaykhs and their khanqahs; the network extended along trade routes into Anatolia and Persia, binding charity, education, and urban religious life together.
3. c. 1200–1270Konya · Konya ProvinceUnder the Seljuks of Rum and successor states, khanqahs proliferated in Anatolia, providing an organizational model for major 13th-century orders such as Rumi's (Mevlevi) tradition; Sufi lodges became important religious nodes linking cities, trade routes, and courts.