The University of Al-Karaouine (or al-Qarawiyyin) is the oldest existing, continuously-operating educational institution and the first degree awarding university in the world, according to UNESCO and the Guinness World Records. Founded in 859 AD by Fatima al-Fihri, it is located in Fes El-Bali, Morocco. The library in Al-Qarawiyyin is considered the oldest in the world and is home to over 4000 rare manuscripts including a 9th century Qur’an. Students at Al-Karaouine range between the ages of 13 and 30, and study towards high school-level diplomas and university-level bachelor’s degrees.
Muslims with a sufficiently high level of Arabic are also able to attend lecture circles on an informal basis, given the traditional category of visitors “in search of [religious and legal] knowledge” (“zuwwaar li’l-talab fii ‘ilm”). In addition to being Muslim, prospective students of the Qarawiyyin are required to have memorized the Qur’an in full as well as several other shorter medieval Islamic texts on grammar and Maliki law, and in general to have a very good command of Classical Arabic. It is a common misconception that the university is open only to men; it is open to both men and women. Women were first admitted into the university in the 1940s.
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