pesantren

A pesantren is a traditional Islamic boarding school in Indonesia. Pesantren are usually in private houses, a pondok or a mosque. The teachings include classical Islamic texts and santri thought, taught by instructors called kyais. According to one popular tradition, the pesantren education system originated from traditional Javanese pondokan, dormitories, ashrams for Hindus or viharas for Buddhists to learn religious philosophies, martial arts, and meditation. Institutions much like them are found across the Islamic world and are called pondok in Malaysia, Southern Thailand and madrasas in India and Pakistan and much of the Arabic-speaking world. The pesantren aims to deepen knowledge of the Quran, particularly through the study of Arabic, traditions of exegesis, the Sayings of the Prophet, law and logic. The term pesantren derives from the root word santri ("student") -- pe-santri-an or the place of the santri.