A khanaqa or tekiye is a religious meeting place for a sufi or dervish ritual gathering (majlis). The inside looks like a simple mosque with a mihrab (prayer niche) but no minbar (pulpit where Friday prayers are said). Portraits of sheikhs, flags, and the silsila, the spiritual pedigree or chain of transmission that links a sufi master with the founder of his particular tariqa (mystical path), as well as sharp objects used during ceremonies distinguish a khanaqa from a regular mosque. Either a sheikh or his khalifa (deputy) leads the ceremonies. During the zikr, or recitation of the divine name, the dervishes recite the shahada ("confession of faith"), "la illaha illa llah" ("there is no god but God") hundreds of times, thus inducing trances and even self-mutilation.
Historical Dictionary of the Kurds. Michael M. Gunter.