Ninth-century scholar and philanthropist credited with founding, in the Moroccan city of Fez, the mosque and madrasa that grew into the University of al-Qarawiyyin, recognised by UNESCO and Guinness World Records as the oldest continuously operating degree-granting institution of higher learning in the world.
Facts
Birth YearSources give only an approximate birth year (c. 800 CE); no precise date survives. Death YearSources give only an approximate death year (c. 880 CE); no precise date survives. BirthplaceKairouan, Aghlabid Ifriqiya (present-day Tunisia) 1 Nationality / CultureArab (Kairouanese, later Fez) 1 Defining ContributionFounded the al-Qarawiyyin mosque and madrasa in Fez in 859 CE, the institution that grew into the University of al-Qarawiyyin. 1 Fatima al-Fihri
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In Approach
Source Madrasa - Wikipedia
Institutions Founded
The traditional and UNESCO-recognised account credits Fatima al-Fihri as founder. Some modern historians note her individualised biography is attested only in sources written centuries after her lifetime and treat the personal details with caution; see the linked open question.
Source Wikipedia
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationUniversity of al-Qarawiyyin, lead section
It was incorporated into Morocco's modern state university system in 1963 and officially renamed "University of Al Quaraouiyine" two years later.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatima_al-Fihri, lead section
The al-Qarawiyyin Mosque subsequently developed into a teaching institution, which became the modern University of al-Qarawiyyin in 1963.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatima_al-Fihri, infobox
Born c. 800 CE, Kairouan (present-day Tunisia). Died c. 880 CE, Fez (present-day Morocco).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatima_al-Fihri, biography section
Fatima was born in the town of Kairouan, in present-day Tunisia, possibly around 800 CE.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatima_al-Fihri, founding section
Fatima al-Fihriya...was an Arab woman who is credited with founding the al-Qarawiyyin Mosque in 857-859 CE in Fez, Morocco.
View the Source Madrasa - Wikipedia
In Approach: Madrasa Pedagogy, Islamic education in the madrasa sectionQuote, In Approach: Madrasa Pedagogy, Islamic education in the madrasa section
According to tradition, the al-Qarawiyyin mosque was founded by Fāṭimah al-Fihrī, the daughter of a wealthy merchant named Muḥammad al-Fihrī.
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