Zawiya

A religious lodge or brotherhood seat, often associated with a Sufi order. In southern Morocco the major zawiyas — the Zawiya Nasiriyya at Tamegroute on the lower Drâa, the Zawiya Tijaniyya at Fez, others — were and remain centres of religious learning, manuscript copying, and political influence. Several southern Moroccan kasbah lineages, including the Nasiri family at Skoura, trace descent from major zawiya foundations.