Sharing Baraka in an Unexpected Place: The Emergence of Ziyāra Culture Among Sufi and ‘Alawi Muslims in Argentina

Abstract

In Argentina some branches of Islam have their own ziyāra circuits, building a local diasporic shrine culture. This paper examines sacred geographies created by ‘Alawis descendants of Syrian immigrants, who arrived in the early decades of the twentieth century, and Naqshbandi-Haqqani sufis, Muslims who have converted from a Christian background. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Sufi and ‘Alawi communities, in Shaykh Ahmed Merhej's shrine and in the Naqshbandiyya-Haqqaniyya dergāhs where there are maqāms - cenotaphs erected in honor of Shaykh ‘Abdullah Daghestani- this article analyzes the configuration of two shrine cultures and their recent contact, showing the local rooting of a global practice among Muslims.