
A ribāṭ (; hospice, hostel, base or retreat) is an Arabic term, initially designating a small
fortification
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...
built along a frontier during the first years of the
Muslim conquest of the Maghreb
The conquest of the Maghreb by the Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates commenced in 647 and concluded in 709, when the Byzantine Empire lost its last remaining strongholds to Caliph Al-Walid I. The North African campaigns were part of the century ...
to house military volunteers, called ''murabitun'', and shortly after they also appeared along the
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
frontier, where they attracted converts from
Greater Khorasan
KhorasanDabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 (; , ) is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau in West Asia, West and Central Asia that encompasses wes ...
, an area that would become known as
al-ʻAwāṣim in the ninth century CE.
The ''ribat'' fortifications later served to protect commercial routes, as
caravanserai
A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...
s, and as centers for isolated Muslim communities as well as serving as places of piety.
Islamic meaning
Historical meaning
The word ''ribat'' in its abstract refers to voluntary defense of
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, which is why ribats were originally used to house those who fought to defend Islam in
jihad
''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...
.
They can also be referred to by other names such as ''khanqah'', most commonly used in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
, and ''tekke'', most commonly used in
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
.
Classically, ribat referred to the guard duty at a frontier outpost in order to defend ''
dar al-Islam''. The one who performs ribat is called a ''murabit''.
Contemporary use
Contemporary use of the term ribat is common among
jihadi groups such as
al-Qaeda
, image = Flag of Jihad.svg
, caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions
, founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden
, leaders = {{Plainlist,
* Osama bin Lad ...
or the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...
. The term has also been used by
Salafi
The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a fundamentalist revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" is a self-designation, claiming a retu ...
-
Jihadis operating in the
Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...
. In their terminology, ''ʻArḍ al-Ribat'' "Land of the Ribat" is a name for
Palestine
Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
, with the literal meaning of "the land of standing vigilant watch on the frontier", understood in the context of their ideology of global jihad, which is fundamentally opposed to
Palestinian nationalism
Palestinian nationalism is the national movement of the Palestinian people that espouses Palestinian self-determination, self-determination and sovereignty over the region of Palestine.de Waart, 1994p. 223 Referencing Article 9 of ''The Pales ...
.
As caravanserais
In time, some ribats became hostels for voyagers on major trade routes (
caravanserai
A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...
).
As Sufi retreats
Sufi brotherhoods
Ribat was initially used to describe a frontier post where soldiers would stay during the
early Muslim conquests
The early Muslim conquests or early Islamic conquests (), also known as the Arab conquests, were initiated in the 7th century by Muhammad, the founder of Islam. He established the first Islamic state in Medina, Arabian Peninsula, Arabia that ...
and after, such as in
al-Awasim. The term transformed over time to refer to a center for Sufi. As they were later no longer needed to house and supply soldiers, ribats became refuges for mystics. The ribat tradition was perhaps one of the early sources of the
ṭarīqas, or Sufi mystic brotherhoods, and a type of the later
zawiya or Sufi lodge, which spread into
North Africa
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
, and from there across the
Sahara
The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...
to
West Africa
West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
. Here, they are the homes of
marabout
In the Muslim world, the marabout () is a Sayyid, descendant of Muhammad (Arabic: سـيّد, Romanization of Arabic, romanized: ''sayyid'' and ''sidi'' in the Maghreb) and a Islam, Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the f ...
s: religious teachers, usually Sufis. Such places of spiritual retreat were termed ''
khānqāh
A Sufi lodge is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood or ''tariqa'' and is a place for spiritual practice and religious education. They include structures also known as ''khānaqāh'', ''zāwiya'', ''ribāṭ'' ...
''s (). Usually, ribats were inhabited by a shaykh, and his family and visitors were allowed to come and learn from him.
Many times, the tomb of the founder was also located in the same building.
These centers' institutionalization was made possible partly through donations from wealthy merchants, landowners, and influential leaders. Some of these compounds also received regular stipends to maintain them.
Some important ribats to mention are the
Rabati Malik (c.1068–80), which is in
Uzbekistan
, image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg
, image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg
, symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem
, national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...
in the
Kyzylkum Desert and is still partially intact, and the
Ribat of Sharaf from the 12th century, which was built in a square shape with a monumental portal, a courtyard, and long vaulted rooms along the walls.
[ Most ribats had a similar architectural appearance which consisted of a surrounding wall with an entrance, living rooms, storehouses for provisions, a watch tower used to signal in the case of an invasion, four to eight towers, and a mosque in large ribats.]
These institutions were used as a sort of school house where a shaykh could teach his disciples the ways of a specific ṭarīqa. They were also used as a place of worship where the shaykh could observe the members of the specific Sufi order and help them on their inner path to ḥaqīqa (, ultimate truth or reality).
Female Sufis
Another use of ribat refers to a sort of convent
A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community.
The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
or retreat house for Sufi women. Female shaykhas (شيخة), scholars of law in medieval times, and large numbers of widows or divorcees lived in abstinence and worship in ribats.
See also
* Almoravids
The Almoravid dynasty () was a Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus, starting in the 1050s and lasting until its fall to the Almo ...
* Al-Awasim, Muslim side of the frontier between the Byzantine Empire and Early Islamic realm
* Khan, Persian word for caravanserai; Turkish variant: ''han''
* Khanqah
A Sufi lodge is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood or ''tariqa'' and is a place for spiritual practice and religious education. They include structures also known as ''khānaqāh'', ''zāwiya'', ''ribāṭ'' ...
, building used specifically by a Sufi brotherhood
* Ksar
Ksar or qṣar (), in plural ksour or qsour (), is a type of fortified village in North Africa, usually found in the regions predominantly or traditionally inhabited by Berbers (Amazigh). The equivalent Berber languages, Berber term used is ' ( ...
, North African (usually Berber) fortified village
* List of caravanserais
* Rabad, Central Asian variant for 'rabat'
* Rabat (disambiguation), Semitic word for "fortified town" or "suburb"
* Robat (disambiguation), Persian variant for 'ribat'
;List of Early Muslim ribats
* Cafarlet in Palestine
* Minat al-Qal'a in Palestine
References
Further reading
Cache of The Ribat by Hajj Ahmad Thomson, 23 06 2007
from: ''al-Imra'a al-Maghribiyya wa't-Tasawwuf'' (The Moroccan Woman and Tasawwuf in the Eleventh Century) by Mustafa 'Abdu's-Salam al-Mahmah)
* Majid Khadduri, ''War And Peace in the Law of Islam'' (Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1955), . p. 81.
* Hassan S. Khalilieh, "The Ribat System and Its Role in Coastal Navigation," ''Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient'', 42,2 (1999), 212–225.
* Jörg Feuchter, "The Islamic Ribаt - A Model for the Christian Military Orders? Sacred Violence, Religious Concepts and the Invention of a Cultural Transfer," in ''Religion and Its Other: Secular and Sacral Concepts and Practices in Interaction''. Edited by Heike Bock, Jörg Feuchter, and Michi Knecht (Frankfurt/M., Campus Verlag, 2008).
External links
* With a map and list of Seljuk hans.
The evolution of stopping posts from the Ancient Near East
The ancient Near East was home to many cradles of civilization, spanning Mesopotamia, Egypt, Iran (or Persia), Anatolia and the Armenian highlands, the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula. As such, the fields of ancient Near East studies and Nea ...
, through the Early Muslim ribats, to the Seljuk ''han'' (Turkish for caravanserai); with a list of "Great Seljuk era hans and ribats in Central Asia and Iran"
ArchNet
Origin and layout of a ribat and its adaptation as a caravanserai. Accessed May 2021.
What is the ribath?
{{Authority control
Forts
Muslim conquest of the Maghreb
Maghreb
Islamic architecture
Arabic fortifications
Infrastructure
Building types
Buildings and structures by type
Urban studies and planning terminology