Today, I will go back in history to write about the oldest educational institution in the word * University of Al Quaraouiyine*
University of Al Quaraouiyine is a university located in Fes el-Bali, one of the world’s most ancient living cities.in Fez, Morocco.
It is considered to be the oldest existing, continually operating and the first degree awarding educational institution in the world according to UNESCO and Guinness World Records.
This fantastic monument was founded by Fatima al-Fihri in 859.
The university has a beautiful design; it is decorated with Andalusian art bordered with Kufic calligraphy.
The university library is home to numbers of precious manuscripts including historic copies of the Qu’ran.
University of Al Quaraouiyine contains precious manuscripts dating back to the 7th century. the building is richly decorated with Arabic calligraphy .viewers are always dazzled by its architecture ,it is considered to be one of the most impressive works of architecture in Morocco, and one of the best remaining examples of Islamic architecture.
In the beginning, the university focused on religious instruction and Qu’ran teaching, but later expanded into theology, jurisprudence, philosophy, mathematics, astrology, astronomy and languages. The university had among its students since the Middle Age famous people from all around the Mediterranean sea such as the philosopher Averroes, the geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi , the Jewish philosopher Maimonides, Leo Africanus ,and Ibn Khaldun the founder of sociology.
The university still exists and it has been incorporated into the modern university system in Morocco in 1963.