Founded in 859 CE by Fatima al-Fihri, a woman from Qairouan (Tunisia), Al-Qarawiyyin is recognized by UNESCO and the Guinness Book of Records as the world's oldest continuously functioning university. It began as a mosque and evolved into one of the leading spiritual and educational centers of the medieval Islamic world. Scholars who studied here include Ibn Khaldun, Al-Idrisi, and Maimonides. The library, recently restored by architect Aziza Chaouni, contains manuscripts dating to the 9th century, including a 9th-century Quran written on camel skin.
Sources
- UNESCO Fez nomination file (1981)
- Terrasse H. (1968) La Mosquée al-Qarawiyyin à Fès