Zawyt Sydy Ahmd Bn Slyman Alrabhy Altghzwty Altjany

Deep in the Saharan landscape of the El Oued province of south eastern Algeria, the Zawiya of Sidi Ahmad ibn Sulayman al Rabihi al Taghazzuti al Tijani serves the faithful of the Reguiba commune with both a place of worship and a centre for the teaching of the Qur'an and the daily remembrance of God. El Oued is famed for the pale domed houses of its old quarter and for the vast sand seas of the Grand Erg Oriental that stretch across the south. Farmers have cultivated date palms here for many centuries, creating the unique ghut gardens dug below the sand. A zawiya in North African usage is a religious lodge or retreat, often associated with a teaching shaykh whose gentle instruction in the Qur'an, Arabic grammar, and the devotional sciences shapes generations of students. The Tijani tradition, founded by Shaykh Ahmad al Tijani al Hasani of Fez, spread widely across the Sahara and West Africa during the nineteenth century and continues to this day to weave together the remembrance of God, the love of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), and the service of neighbours as a single integrated path of devotion. The architecture of Saharan zawiyas is distinctive. Thick walls of sun dried brick coated with white plaster protect the interior from the fierce desert heat, a low dome covers the tomb chamber of the founding shaykh, a small courtyard surrounded by simple teaching rooms gathers students and travellers, and a tall date palm often rises from the centre, offering welcome shade. Inside the prayer hall, reed mats and woollen carpets cover the floor, and a simple mihrab points east northeast toward Makkah across the endless dunes of the eastern Sahara. Daily prayer times for the Zawiya of Sidi Ahmad ibn Sulayman al Rabihi in Reguiba, together with its address, a map, and visitor notes, are presented on this page for residents of the El Oued wilaya, Saharan travellers, and visitors exploring the remarkable oases of the Algerian south. El Oued is celebrated for its date harvests, its traditional camel markets, and the UNESCO listed M'zab valley not far to the north west. After Maghrib, residents of the zawiya often gather with their shaykh to share glasses of hot sweet tea, rounds of freshly baked kesra bread, and the long unhurried remembrance of God that carries into the star filled Saharan nights.