University of al-Qarawiyyin, University in the medina of Fez, Morocco
The University of al-Qarawiyyin is a teaching complex with a prayer hall and library in the medina of Fez. Vaulted arcades surround several courtyards, and wooden doors lead into study rooms with ceramic tiles on the walls.
Fatima al-Fihri founded the institution in 859 using her family inheritance after immigrating from Tunisia. Over the centuries, the place attracted scholars like Ibn Khaldun and Maimonides, who taught or studied here.
The name comes from Kairouan, the Tunisian hometown of the founding family, linking the building to North African trading traditions. Scholars from different regions still meet in the courtyards to discuss legal interpretation and Quranic studies.
The main entrance sits in a narrow alley of the old town, and only Muslims may enter the interior spaces. Visitors can glimpse the courtyards through open gates and view the carved wooden doors up close.
The library preserves a manuscript from the 9th century written by hand on gazelle leather. Guinness World Records recognized the institution as the oldest continuously operating degree-granting university in the world, with more than 1150 years of teaching activity.
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