# Takya

A takya (from Classical Persian: تَکْیه, romanized: takya; modern Iranian Persian: تَکْیه, romanized: takye; Azerbaijani: təkyə; Ottoman Turkish: تَکْیه, romanized: tekye; modern Turkish: tekke; Panjabi: تَکْیہ, romanized: takya; Urdu: تَکْیہ, romanized: takya; Uzbek: takya; Kurdish: تەکیە, romanized: tekiye; Arabic: تَكِيَّة, romanized: takiyya, plural تَكَايَا takāyā) or takyakhana (from Classical Persian: تَکْیه‌خانه, romanized: takya-khāna; Uzbek: takyaxona) was originally a type of building or complex for Sufi gatherings in the Islamic world (which could also provide shelter to pilgrims); under this sense, takyas functioned much like khanqahs, which had appeared earlier and which had flourished in pre-Ottoman Syria and Egypt and in India.
In the Ottoman Empire, many takyas or tekyes/tekkes were built, most notably for use by the Mevlevi Order and the Bektashi Order (see § Ottoman Empire, below).
In South Asia as well, the word takya has been used as a synonym of khanqah (like the Takya of Baba Shah Musafir at Aurangabad), but also to refer to the cemetery or graveyard of Sufis (see § South Asia).
In Iran, however, takyas found a different usage. Following the Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam, existing takyas became used as husayniyyas (buildings where Shia Muslims gather to mourn the death of Husayn ibn Ali in the month of Muharram) (see § Iran).
In the modern Arab world, takyas or takiyyas have come to refer to soup kitchens or similar institutions providing food assistance to those in need (see § Modern Arab world).

## Etymology

The Classical Persian word تَکْیه takya at its core meant "support"; also "cushion" or "pillow" (this meaning has become widespread in South Asian languages which borrowed this word, including Hindustani, Bangali, Gujarati, Panjabi and Sindhi). The word was also borrowed in Ottoman Turkish as تَكْیه tekye, eventually making its way into Arabic as تَكِيَّة takiyya and in languages of the Balkans.
Other words were derived from تَکْیه takya in Classical Persian, such as تکیه‌نشین takya-nishīn and تکیه‌دار takya-dār both meaning a Sufi.

## Ottoman Empire

Many takyas (or tekkeler in Turkish; Ottoman Turkish: تَكْیه‌لر, romanized: tekyeler) have been built in Turkey and in the countries which came under Ottoman rule. The Ottomans used the words takya (Turkish: tekke), dargāh (Turkish: dergâh) and zāwiya (Turkish: zâviye) instead of khānqāh (Turkish: hankah). Among the Ottoman Sufi orders which had the most takyas were the Mevlevi Order or Mawlawiyya and the Bektashi Order. The takyas of the Mevlevi Order were called Mawlawī khānas (Ottoman Turkish: مولوی خانه‌لر, romanized: Mevlevî haneler, lit. 'Mawlawī houses').
By the 20th century, Istanbul itself counted many takyas. Some were dedicated to certain Muslim communities (for example, the Uzbeks' Takya or the Indians' Takya) which symbolized a certain recognition of these communities by the Ottomans. Iranians in Istanbul in the 1870s also attempted to establish a "Takya Ḥosayniya" (Turkish: Hüseyniye Tekkesi), which was meant to be used as a husayniyya like the takyas of Iran (see § Iran, below).
Ottoman takyas can be found in Albania, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Cyprus, in Egypt, in Greece, in North Macedonia and in Syria.

## South Asia

In South Asia, the word takya in the religious sense has been used as a synonym of khanqah (like the Takya of Baba Shah Musafir at Aurangabad) alongside the words jamāʿat-khāna (Urdu: جماعت خانہ), dargāh (Urdu: درگاہ, lit. 'royal court'), langar (Urdu: لنگر, lit. 'refectory') and sometimes ʿimārat (Urdu: عمارت, lit. 'building').
In Hindustani and Panjabi, the word takya has also referred to the cemetery or graveyard of Sufis.

## Iran

Following the Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam, existing takyas in Iran became used as husayniyyas (buildings where Shia Muslims gather to mourn the death of Husayn ibn Ali in the month of Muharram). This is one of the reasons why the words "takyeh" and "hoseyniyeh" are often used interchangeably in modern Iran. The majority of takyehs built in Iran since Iran's conversion have been built to be used as husayniyyas, although some of them also include a zaynabiyya (in honor of Husayn's sister Zaynab bint Ali) or an abbasiyya (in honor of Husayn's paternal half-brother Abbas ibn Ali), like the Takyeh Moaven-ol-Molk. Famous takyas or takyehs in Iran include the Takyeh of Mir Chakhmaq in Yazd (built in the 15th century), the Takyeh Beyglarbeygi and the Takyeh Moaven-ol-Molk in Kermanshah, and the former Takyeh Dowlat built by Naser al-Din Shah Qajar in Tehran, all of which have been used as husayniyyas.

## Azerbaijan

In Azerbaijan, examples of takyas (or təkyələr in Azerbaijani) include the Takya in the Old City of Baku.

## Modern Arab world

In the modern Arab world, takyas (Arabic: تَكَايَا, romanized: takāyā, plural of تَكِيَّة takiyya) have come to refer to soup kitchens or similar institutions providing food assistance to those in need, generally called تَكَايَا خَيْرِيَّة (takāyā khayriyya, lit. 'charity takiyyas'). Among the earliest charity takiyyas were the two Egyptian Takiyyas (Arabic: التكيّتان المصريّتان, romanized: at-Takiyyatān al-Miṣriyyatān) in Mecca and Medina, built in the first quarter of the 19th century by Muhammad Ali of Egypt (they no longer exist). More recent examples include the Tkiyet Um Ali founded in Amman in 2003, or the Takiyyat Nābulus al-Khayriyya founded in Nablus in 2012.