University of al-Qarawiyyin

De **University of al-Qarawiyyin** (Arabic: جامعة القرويين, romanized: Jāmiʻat al-Qarawīyīn), dem sanso wrep am **Al-Karaouine** anaa **Al Quaraouiyine**, be a university wey dey locate insyd Fez, Morocco. Na dem found am as a mosque by Fatima al-Fihri insyd 857–859 wey subsequently e cam turn one of de leading spiritual den educational centers of de Islamic Golden Age. Na dem incorporate am into Morocco ein modern state university system insyd 1963 wey dem officially rename "University of Al Quaraouiyine" two years later. De mosque building einself sanso a significant complex of historical Moroccan den Islamic architecture wey dey feature elements from chaw different periods of Moroccan history. Scholars dey consider al-Qarawiyyin say ebe effectively run as a madrasa til after World War II. Chaw scholars distinguish dis status from de status of "university", wich dem view as a distinctly European invention. Dem dey date al-Qarawiyyin ein transformation from a madrasa into a university to ein modern reorganization insyd 1963. Na UNESCO den de *Guinness World Records*, cite al-Qarawiyyin as de oldest university anaa oldest continually wey dey operate higher learning institution insyd de world.

Education for de University of al-Qarawiyyin dey concentrate for de Islamic religious den legal sciences plus a heavy emphasis on, den particular strengths insyd, Classical Arabic grammar/linguistics den *Maliki* Sharia, though lessons for non-Islamic subjects wey dem sanso offer to students. Dem still dey deliver teaching insyd de traditional methods. De university be attended by students from all over Morocco den Muslim West Africa, plus sam sanso dey cam from further abroad. Na dem first admit women to do institution insyd de 1940s.

## Name
De Arabic name of de university wey dey mean "University of de People from Kairouan". Factors such as de provenance of Fatima al-Fihriya ein family insyd Tunisia, de presence of de letter *Qāf* (ق) – a voiceless uvular plosive wich get equivalent insyd European languages – de  ([awijiː]) triphthong insyd de university ein name, wey na de French colonization of Morocco result insyd a number of different orthographies for de romanization of de university ein name, wey dey include *al-Qarawiyyin*, a standard anglicization; *Al Quaraouiyine*, dey follow French orthography; den *Al-Karaouine*, anoda rendering wey dey use French orthography.

## Notable alumni
A number of well-known philosophers, scholars, den politicians insyd de history of Morocco den de western Mediterranean either study anaa dem teach for de Qarawiyyin since ein founding.

* Maimonides (1135/1138–1204), Jewish philosopher
* Ibn Arabi (1165–1240), Sufi philosopher
* Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406), historian den philosopher
* Leo Africanus (1494–1554), author
* Ahmed Mohammed al-Maqqari (1632-1577), historian den theologian, appointed imam den mufti by de Saadi Sultan Zaydan
* Imam al-Bannani (1727–1780), faqīh (Muslim jurist)
* Ahmad ibn Idris (1760–1837), Moroccan Sufi scholar
* Muhammad al-Kattani (1873–1909), writer den political leader
* Abd el-Krim el-Khattabi (1882–1963), Rifian-Moroccan political den military leader
* Allal al-Fassi (1910–1974), Moroccan politician
* Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali (1893–1987), translator
* Abdullah al-Ghumari (1910–1993), faqīh (Muslim jurist)
* Fatima al-Kabbaj (1932–), Member of High Council of Knowledge (Islamic council) Notably, one of de first few women make dem admit am.

## References


## Read further

* 
* Terrasse, Henri (1968). *La Mosquée al-Qaraouiyin à Fès; avec une étude de Gaston Deverdun sur les inscriptions historiques de la mosquée*. Paris: Librairie C. Klincksieck. (In French; mainly about architecture)
* Le Tourneau, Roger (1949). *Fès avant le protectorat: étude économique et sociale d'une ville de l'occident musulman*. Casablanca: Société Marocaine de Librairie et d'Édition. (In French; contains detailed discussion of the institution's operations prior to the French colonial period; in particular, see p.&nbsp;453 and after)

## External links

* Universite Quaraouiyine – Fes (French)
* Al Qaraouiyine Rehabilitation at ArchNet (includes pictures of the interior, the minbar, and other architectural elements)
* Manar al-Athar Digital Photo Archive (includes pictures of the interior, including the mihrab area)
* The minbar of the al-Qarawīyīn Mosque at Qantara-Med (includes pictures of the minbar and the mihrab area)
* 360-degree view of the central nave of the mosque, in front of the mihrab, posted on Google Maps
* Virtual tour of the Qarawiyyin Mosque, 360-degree views of the mosque's interior