zawiyah (zāwiyah ; زاوية)

(Language: Arabic)

Alternate Spellings: zawiya, zāwiya, zāwiyah

Short Description: In Arabic, literally, “corner, nook”; in Sufism, any place of prayer and retreat

Long Description: In Arabic, literally, “corner, nook”; in Sufism, any place of prayer and retreat used by members of a spiritual brotherhood (tariqa), whether a mosque or a single room. The term is used particularly in the Magrib and West Africa.

Sources: Light on the Ancient Worlds: New Translation with Selected Letters by Frithjof Schuon