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The Arab World: Home to the Oldest Learning Institutions in the World.
POSTED ON: JUN 8, 2022
By: Anthony Bayyouk / Arab America Contributing Writer
The history of the Arab world covers many different topics, such as religion, architecture, and trade. A topic that is not talked about often is education. What some people may not know is that some of the world’s oldest learning institutions, in the world are located in the Arab World. From Morocco to Kuwait higher education has existed for centuries. The first educational institutions in the Middle East were focused on religious teachings. Religion was the only subject at these institutions for a long time. As the Middle East expanded subjects such as science and mathematics were added. After all, Arabs did invent Algebra. In this Article, Arab America will explore some of the oldest learning institutions in the Middle East.
Al Azhar University
Al Azhar University is located in Cairo, Egypt, and was founded in 970 AD. The founder of the University was a Sunni, and the basis of study when Al Azhar opened was Islamic law Theology and Arabic study. Al Azhar is the most important religious university in the Muslim world, at one given time 90,000 students study at Al Azhar. It is the main center of Arabic literature and Sunni Islamic learning in the world. Those three subjects are still the main majors at the university. Despite the many rulers, empires, and occupations that have come and left in Egypt the University survived through it all. The University is a statue for all other high education learning institutes in Egypt.
The University of al-Qarawiyyin
In Morocco, about three hours away from the capital lies the university of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez. Founded in 859 AD, the university is the oldest degree-granting institution in the world. Similar to Al Azhar, this university is also historically Muslim. The university’s library contains historic copies of the Quran. In fact, there is an interesting story behind the founding of the university. In 859 AD, a lady by the name of Fatima al-Fihri used her inheritance to fund the construction of a mosque for her community with an associated school. She intended to give back to the community that had welcomed her family many years prior. They immigrated when she was young from Tunisian. The university is still thriving and serves an array of majors such as medicine, astronomy, physics, and foreign languages.
Not far from the Tigris River in Baghdad, Iraq lies Mustansiriya University. The oldest university in Iraq and one of the oldest in the world. The Universe is named the great survivor. It obtained this nickname because the University survived the rise and fall of empires, regime changes, and drastic urban modernization. The university was established in 1227 AD by the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mustansir.
Mustansiriya University
Traditionally, in the Arab World, Education institutions were based on Religion. Starting in the eleventh century Sunni Islam dominated the education sector. The oldest institutions started as Islamic teaching centers, and still value the religion to this day. Institutions have grown by adding many majors, such as medicine and law, but Islam is still important to all these institutions.
American University in the Middle East
The many occupations of the Arab world have greatly influenced education in each nation today. In Egypt, Palestine, and Jordan education is shaped after the British system due to the decades of British occupation. All schools in those nations teach proper English. Although the schools are mostly attended by non-Christians, because of the British influence many schools are still private Christian schools that teach about Christianity. Egypt and Syria follow the French system due to the decades of French occupation. The influence of the French is still present in Lebanon every day. It is more common to speak French in Beirut than it is to speak Arabic. Similar to Egypt, Palestine, and Jordan. Lebanon is filled with Christian schools attended by non-Christians.
Overall, when you look deeper into the history of the Arab World. You will find an array of historical topics that are rarely talked about. Today, there are American universities scattered around the Middle East that teach hundreds of topics. Besides the American University’s nations, they have established many universities that serve majors unique to the region.