The University of al-Qarawiyyin: The Oldest Degree-Granting Institution in the World
Founded in 859 A.D. by a highly educated woman named Fatima al-Fihri, the University of al-Qarawiyyin is recognized as the oldest degree-granting institution in the world by both Guinness World Records and UNESCO. Located in Fes, Morocco, it predates other famous universities like Egypt’s Azhar University (970 AD) and the University of Oxford, considered the oldest university in the English-speaking world, which was founded in 1096 AD.
Notable Alumni and Historical Significance
The University of al-Qarawiyyin has produced many outstanding intellectuals and scholars who have had a strong influence on the intellectual and academic areas in the Muslim world. Notable alumni include Abu Abdullah Al-Sati, Abu Al-Abbas al-Zwawi, Ibn Rashid Al-Sabti, Ibn Al-Haj Al-Fasi, and Abu Madhab Al-Fasi. Many renowned scholars and historians, such as Andalusi geographer Hassan al Wazzan (Leo Africanus), Jewish philosopher Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides), Islamic philosopher Ibn Rushd (Averroes), historiographer and thinker Ibn Khaldun, and Sufi poet and philosopher Ibn Hazm, also studied at the University of al-Qarawiyyin.
The Al-Qarawiyyin Library and Manuscript Digitization
Believed to be the oldest library in the world, the Al-Qarawiyyin library has been in continuous operation since the 10th century. After years of neglect, the library is undergoing extensive renovation as part of a renewal program that will restore the Medina, Fes’ walled pedestrian historic district built in the late 8th, early 9th century. The library is home to over 4,000 rare and unique manuscripts, including a 9th-century Quran written in beautiful Kufic script on camel skin, the earliest known Islamic hadiths, and an original manuscript of the Mukkadimah, a universal history written in 1377 by philosopher Ibn Khaldun. Many scholars hold this work to be the first exploration of fields we know as sociology, historiography, demography, and other social sciences.
Currently, the rare manuscripts kept in the secure room can only be accessed by the curator, Abdelfattah Bougchouf. However, the Institute of Computational Linguistics in Italy is helping with the digitization of all 4,000+ manuscripts in a new laboratory, making them accessible to students and researchers worldwide.
The University Today
Today, the University of al-Qarawiyyin primarily focuses on Islamic religious and legal sciences while also offering non-Islamic subjects to its students. The mosque, which can accommodate up to 22,000 worshippers and has a designated area for women, is the largest in Africa, and the library was named among the 100 world’s greatest places in 2018 by Time Magazine.
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