khalwat (A, also khalwa; lit., "solitude"; pronounced in Iran, "khalvat"; spelling in T, helvet): in sufism, a solitary retreat, traditionally for 40 days (see "chella"), during which a disciple does extensive spiritual exercises under the direction of a sufi master. In the Mevlevi tradition, this type of solitary retreat was forbidden as too severe and a risk to the health. Instead, there was a retreat period (also called "çile") of 1,001 days of doing service in the Mevlevi kitchen and learning how to be a dervish.

khalîfa (A [derivation: KHaLaFa, to succeed, follow after]; spelling in T, halife): in sufism, it has two meanings: a disciple who has been appointed by his spiritual master [shaykh, murshid] to be his spiritual successor, or a disciple who has been appointed to be his representative, or deputy. There may be a single successor or a small number of them, but usually there is one primary successor, the chief successor [in T, baS halife, halife dede]. Those who are appointed to be deputies are entrusted to carry on the sufi lineage in their appointed cities or countries, usually under the continued authority of the Shaykh. A khalifa who lives in the same town as the Shaykh may be asked to do some or most of the training of disciples, as well as to lead and teach in the Shaykh's absence.

khâmûsh-ân (P; lit., "silent ones") spelling in T, hamushan): an idiom used for a Mevlevi cemetery [khâmûsh-khâna, hamushhane]. These were exclusvely Mevlevi terms.

KhâSS (A; spelling in T, has): special, noble, elect. This means, in sufism, a very spiritual and even saintly person who is a sincere seeker of Truth, a true lover of God, and therefore the "elect of God." The opposite is (in A) `âm, a "commoner", who is overly attached to worldly desires and activities. Mevlevis also used the plural form, "commoners" [`awâmm; spelling in T, avâm], which could also include sufis if they were not "people of (Divine) realization" [ahl-é Haqîqat]. These two terms were used by both Mawlânâ and his son, SulTân Walad, in their poetry. Related terms are "ascetic" [zâhid] and externalist" [Zâhir]."

khaTT-é istiwâ (A-P; lit., "line (which is) straight"; pronounced in Iran: khaTT-é estevâ; spelling in T, hat-i istiva, hat-i üstüva; this word is related to A: sawâ', the middle; it apears as astawà in Qur'an 20:5 and 53:6 with the meaning of [sitting or standing firmly in] the middle]): In the Whirling Prayer Ceremony [samâ`, sema], there is an invisible straight line conceived as extending from the shaykh's sheepskin [pôst], which was traditionally placed in front of the miHrâb. Therefore, the invisible "straight line" is the line of qibla (the direction pointing toward Mecca), as well as the line pointing to the sheepskin representing Mawlânâ, the shaykh standing or sitting there who is the representative of Mawlânâ. The semazen's are to avoid stepping on this straight line, out of respect, and they bow (quickly from the waist) before stepping over it, during the Sultân Walad Circling, both in front of the pôst and on the opposite side of the circle. The shaykh (or pôst-neshîn), however, may walk directly on the the invisible line during the ceremony (as well as when entering and exiting the samâ`-khâna, or sema hall), which means that he is the guide [murshid] who understands the straight path [SirâTu 'l-mustaqîm] to Divine Reality for the dervishes. The left half of the circle is called the "arc of descent" and symbolizes going down to the material world; the right half is called the "arc of ascent" and symbolizes elevation into the spiritual world.

khirqa (A [derived from KHaRaQa, to tear]; lit., "rag," " tattered piece of cloth"]; spelling in T, hIrka [pronounced, "hurka," an approximation of the Turkish "undotted i"): a type of `abâ, or dervish's cloak. In the Mevlevi Whirling Prayer Ceremony, it is a long blackcloak with very long sleeves and no collar or buttons. The semazens keep their arms out of the sleeves (except when doing the Islamic ritual prayer [namâz, Salât]). During the Whirling Prayer Ceremony, the Shaykh (here caled pôstneshîn) keeps his arms in the sleeves. In addition to the ceremonial khirqa, Mevlevis wore khirqas for use outdoors, which was always worn together with their sikkas. Traditionally, the patched frock of the dervishes. In early sufism, the khirqa was bestowed upon a disciple by a sufi master, as part of initiation, as recognition of the attainment of a certain spiritual station [maqâm], at the completion of the master's sufi training, or as proof of being selected as the successor after the master's death.