Science·Abbasid
Al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and School Founded in Fez
- Date
- 859 CE245 AH1,167 years ago
- Place
- Fez, Morocco
- People
- Fatima al-Fihri
According to the traditional account, Fatima al-Fihri founded al-Qarawiyyin in Fez in 859. It grew from a mosque into one of the main centers of learning in the Maghreb. Scholars taught religious sciences, law, grammar, astronomy and medicine there over many centuries. Some sources describe it as one of the oldest continuously operating universities in the world.
Why it matters
Al-Qarawiyyin kept a long tradition of Maliki scholarship alive in the Maghreb and in West Africa.