A Naqshī-Khalidī Sufi Centre in Siirt: The Takka and Madrasa of Zoqayd

Zoqayd is a Naqshī-Khalidī sufi order (takka) which was active in Siirt and in Siirt province from the 1880s until the 1990s. The sufi order was established by Sheikh Abd al-Qahhār Zoqaydī (d.1906) in Kayabaglar town of Kurtalan. The sheikhs in this sufi order not only trained the followers according to the Khalidī sufi principles, but they also taught Islamic sciences in the madrasa. The reason why, the sheikhs did not leave behind a caliph is because the education in madrasa was highly active in comparison to the sufi order. The importance they attach to the madrasa comes from the characteristic of the family of the Mulla Khalīl al-Siirdī to which they belong. At the same time, the sufi order was also concerned with social problems and political conflicts. For instance, Sheikh Abd al-Qahhār leaded the Yazidīs in the Batran village in the conversion to Islam. His son Sheikh Ma？mūd (d.1945) defended the region with his followers (murīds) during World War I. With the exile of the sheikhs in the Republican period of Turkey, the activities in the sufi order have decreased, but it were not completely extinguished. Until recently, the activities have carried on. In this study, the position of takka of Zoqayd in the history of Sufism has been investigated