Mosquee Universite _al_ Quaraouiyine
Education at Al Quaraouiyine University concentrates on the Islamic religious and legal sciences with a heavy emphasis on, and particular strengths in, grammar/linguistics and law, although a few lessons on other non-Islamic subjects such as French, English are also offered to students. Teaching is delivered in the traditional method, in which students are seated in a semi-circle (halqa) around a sheikh, who prompts them to read sections of a particular text, asks them questions on particular points of grammar, law, or interpretation, and explains difficult points. Students from all over Morocco and Islamic West Africa attend the Qarawiyyin, although a few might come from as far afield as Muslim Central Asia.
Architecture and history of the mosqueSuccessive dynasties expanded the Al Quaraouiyine mosque until it became the largest in, with a capacity of 22,000 worshipers. Compared with the in or the in, the design is austere. The columns and arches are plain white; the floors are covered in reed mats, not lush carpets.
Yet the seemingly endless forest of arches creates a sense of infinite majesty and intimate privacy, while the simplicity of the design complements the finely decorated niches, pulpit and outer courtyard, with its superb tiles, plasterwork, woodcarvings and paintings.The present form of the mosque is the result of a long historical evolution over the course of more than 1,000 years. Originally the mosque was about 30 meters long with a courtyard and four transverse aisles.
The first expansion was undertaken in 956, by,. The prayer hall was extended and the was relocated, taking on a square form that served as a model for countless North African s. At this time it became a tradition that other mosques of Fes would make the call to prayer only after they heard Al Quaraouiyine. In the minaret of Al Quaraouiyine mosque there is a special room, the, where the times of prayer are established.The most extensive reconstruction was carried out in 1135 under the patronage of the ruler sultan who ordered the extension of the mosque from 18 to 21 aisles, expanding the structure to more than 3,000 square meters.
The mosque acquired its present appearance at this time, featuring horseshoe arches and ijmiz frames decorated with beautiful geometrical and floral Andalusian art, bordered with.In the 16th century, the restored the mosque, adding two pavilions to the northern and southern ends of the courtyard.
Although dilapidated ruins of once-grand riad homes can be found around almost every corner, the Moroccan government has recently been investing more money into restoring the medina, which today is considered one of the best-preserved historical towns in the Arab-Muslim world. It is also considered to be one of the world’s largest car-free urban areas, where donkeys and carts are the main modes of transporting goods through the narrow, hilly streets.A short walk around the medina reveals intricately carved Islamic calligraphy and mesmerising zellige mosaics – individually chiselled tiles placed in geometric patterns – that line the walls of mosques, Koranic schools and mausoleums. However, one building, which sits in the medina’s heart, is particularly intriguing to visitors.
Other historical and archaeological sites like ancient India’s Taxila and Nalanda universities may date back further, and ancient Sumerian societies first began incorporating scribal schools (Eduba) just after 3500BC, but Al-Karaouine proudly holds the world record as it has continually offered education since its founding. It is also the first degree-granting educational institution in the world.Located in the heart of the old city, the complex is composed of a mosque, university and library, and is connected to the labyrinth of interconnecting streets and alleyways on all four sides. Its ceramic green tiled roofs take centre stage over Fez’s urban sprawl from any viewpoint over the city.
The story of how the institution came into existence is perhaps even more remarkable than its architecture. In the early to mid-9th Century, when Fez was first beginning to establish itself as a bustling metropolis, Fatima al-Fihri – a migrant from the city of Kairouan (in modern day Tunisia) – settled and married in Fez along with her sister Mariam. After their father passed away, the sisters decided to use the fortune they inherited to give back to their newfound community by creating the Al-Karaouine Mosque and University complex.Mariam used much of her share of the inheritance to build the central Andalusian Mosque – its ornamentally decorated interior can accommodate up to 20,000 people at prayer – while all of Fatima’s money, time and energy went into providing an adjoining place of education for the people of Fez.
Fatima was so devoted to the cause that she even fasted during the construction of the complex (some sources say for up to 18 years). The mosque is off limits to non-Muslims, so most tourists can only seek glimpses of the structure’s grand courtyard – and its intricate, hand-painted carvings, arches and water fountains – through the large doors on all four sides. Rooftop terraces within the medina serve as vantage points, allowing for breathtaking views over the mosque and its white minaret that sends out the call to prayer across the town.From ground level, the true shape and structure of the complex is hidden, where buildings are stacked so close together that roofs touch and crossover above the alleyways. But the trail of grand doorways and wooden walls help visitors define its outline. The mosque is filled with visual details like the elaborately decorated ceiling in the main entrance (pictured). The building’s interior as it appears today was largely shaped by the Almoravid dynasty, which expanded the mosque and prayer halls during the 12th Century.Additional changes continued to take place throughout subsequent centuries. The Almohad dynasty – which took control of large areas of Morocco and the southern regions of Spain after its rise over the Almoravids in the 12th Century – added Moorish floral patterns and the Andalusian design influence of the central marble fountain.
Mosquee Universite _al_ Quaraouiyine De La
The two pavilion fountains – which are reminiscent of the ’s Court of the Lions in Granada, Spain – were added in the early 17th Century. During its early years, the madrasa (school) focused on religious education, but later expanded into linguistics, grammar, law, music, Sufism, medicine and astronomy. In 1947, Al-Karaouine was integrated into the state education system and finally joined the modern state university system by royal decree in 1963 after the end of Morocco’s French protectorate era.
University Of Al-qarawiyyin Courses
In 1965, it was officially renamed the University of Al-Karaouine, opposed to simply ‘Al-Karaouine’.Famous alumni who have studied within its mosaic-clad walls include 12th-Century Muslim philosopher Ibn Rushd; Pope Sylvester II (who is said to have introduced Arabic numerals to Europe after studying here in the 10th Century); 13th- to 14th-Century theologian Ibn al-Haj al-Abdari; and 16th-Century Berber Andalusi diplomat Leo Africanus. Maimonides – the Jewish philosopher famed for his writings on Jewish law and ethics during the 12th Century – was said to have connections to the madrasa. Sadly, many important texts and even entire libraries have been destroyed in other Arab nations, such as Iraq’s Mosul University library, during wars in recent decades. The Al-Karaouine Library, which contains some of the oldest preserved manuscripts in Islamic history, is now one of the most important in the Islamic and Arabic world. To this day, a 9th-Century Mushaf Al Karim (an old copy of a Quran; pictured above), a 10th-Century account of the Prophet Muhammad's life and textbooks by 12th-Century scholar Ibn Tufail are kept safe inside the library’s walls.During the complex’s most recent restoration between 2012 and 2016, a high-tech laboratory was built to restore the historical manuscripts, ensuring they live on for many more generations. After Kuwait’s Arab Bank provided a generous grant to the Moroccan Ministry of Culture for cultural preservation purposes, a small wing of the madrasa was reopened to the public in 2016. This made it possible for tourists to see its mesmerising mosaic displays and intricate carvings, as well as the students’ study rooms and dorms.In 2012, the ministry used the grant to commission architect Aziza Chaouni to restore the university complex. Using local materials where possible, craftsmen and engineers painstakingly restored mosaic displays, restructured foundations, installed a modern sewage system and retiled its characteristic green roof.