Khalwa (structure)

A khalwa (also "bayt al-khalwa", literally "place of seclusion"),^[1] is an Islamic solitary space or cell (zawiya) set aside as a place for retreat and spiritual exercise.^[1][2]

A considerable number of small khalwa structures were built on the esplanade of Al-Aqsa from 956 onwards, many founded by local Ottoman dignitaries and echoing a similar vaulted form supporting one or two domed chambers.^[2]

The underground prayer chambers in the traditional mosques of central Arabia (Najd) are also called khalwa,^[3] while among the Druze, a prayer house is known as a Khalwat al-Bayada.^[4]

References

1. "Khalwa". Encyclopedia of Islam (2 ed.). Brill.
2. Burgoyne, Michael Hamilton (2012). "The Development of al-Haram ai-Sharif during Ottoman Rule" (PDF). Proceedings of the International Congress on al-Quds during the Ottoman Era, Damascus, 22-25 June 2009. Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-05-25.
3. Alnaim, M. M. (2023). "The Architecture of Mosque Integration of Decoration, Functionality, and Spirituality: An Overview of Najd Region Mosque Architecture". Journal of Engineering Research. doi:10.36909/jer.ICMA.20217 (inactive 1 November 2024). ISSN 2307-1877.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
4. Samy S. Swayd (2009). The A to Z of the Druzes. Rowman & Littlefield. p. xxxix. ISBN 978-0-8108-6836-6.