the people of al-dawayima were muslims. they maintained several religious shrines, chief among them the shrine of shaykh ´ali. this shrine had a large courtyard, a number of rooms, and one large hall for prayers, and was surrounded by fig and carob trees and cactuses. it attracted visitors from the neighboring villages. a mosque was located in the village center, it was maintained by the followers of "al-tariqa al-khalwatiyya", a sufi mystic order founded by shaykh umar al-khalwati (d.1397)