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Sufi Orders

Type Object Region Islamic world Time c. 1100–1500

Sufi orders are mystical religious organizations in the Islamic world, bound together by master-disciple transmission, zawiyas (monasteries), and rit…

Timeline

  1. c. 1100–1200Baghdad and Persia · IraqOrders such as the Suhrawardi and Qadiri established organizational forms through hereditary or elected sheikhs, fixed spiritual rules, and zawiyah architectural complexes, combining personal mysticism with community charity and education.
  2. c. 1200–1280Konya · TurkeyRumi founded the whirling dervish and poetic praise tradition in Konya; his disciple system continued through the turmoil of the Seljuk and Mongol periods, and Sufi poetry and music became central to Anatolian urban culture.
  3. c. 1250–1350Persia and Central Asia · Central AsiaUnder Ilkhanate rule, Sufi sheikhs received patronage and land grants in Persia and Central Asia; order networks extended along trade routes, ran parallel to Sunni scholarly institutions, and participated in local mediation and religious integration.
  4. c. 1250–1500Cairo · EgyptMamluk sultans sponsored large zawiyas and Sufi festivals; the orders gained political influence in Egypt, Syria, and the Maghreb, and some later moved closer to stricter Sunni orthodoxy.

Sources