Jamāʿa is from Arabic which means group or community, and khāna is from Persian meaning house, lit., ‘the house of the community’. It means a place where certain Sunni and Shi‘i Muslim communities come together for prayers and communal gatherings. Though primarily associated with the activities of Sufi groups, the Jama‘at Khanas are one of the many types of spaces of worship in diverse Muslim contexts. It also refers to the places of worship and communal gatherings in the Shi‘i Ismaili context.
