As Ramadan begins, let's celebrate a remarkable Muslim woman from history: Fatima al-Fihri, founder of the world's oldest university, al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco.
Fatima was born to a wealthy merchant family, who emigrated to Fez from modern-day Tunisia in the ninth century. Due to the untimely death of her father, Fatima inherited a vast amount of wealth. She vowed to use her fortune to build a mosque and learning centre for her community
Al-Qarawiyyin mosque and university were founded in 859. The university is the longest-running degree-awarding higher education institution in the world. 
(note: some Western scholars use a eurocentric definition of universities and say that Bologna holds the honor of the oldest university - Guinness World Records and UNESCO recognise Al-Qarawiyyin as the oldest university)
While building the university, Fatima committed to only using the land she had purchased. Digging deep into the land, resources such as sand, plaster and stone were taken to build the university.
Both Fatima and her sister, Mariam (who is also credited for founding an iconic mosque with her inheritance: Al-Andalusiyyin Mosque) were well-educated and devout Muslim women.
In recent years, the library (the oldest functioning library in the world) at Al-Qarawiyyin was renovated, overseen by another Moroccan woman of note, architect Aziza Chaouni. Fatima's diploma is displayed there.
Some historians have questioned the veracity of Fatima al-Fihri's role in the foundation of Al-Qarawiyyin, and even whether she existed at all. If so, Fatima's story is one of the only examples in the world of a woman getting credit for something a man did.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
