Which Is the Oldest University in the World?

The University of al-Qarawiyyin (also spelled Karueein) in Fez, Morocco, was founded in 859 AD by Fatima al-Fihri, a young woman from a wealthy family. Originally a madrasa (Islamic school) attached to a mosque, it evolved into a full university, teaching theology, law, grammar, rhetoric, logic, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, and Sufi mysticism. Guinness World Records and UNESCO recognise it as the oldest existing and continually operating educational institution in the world. The University of Bologna (founded 1088) is the oldest in Europe by the medieval European definition of "university" (a corporation of students or masters granting degrees), and Al-Azhar University in Cairo (founded 970) is another early contender.