Fatima al-Fihri

Who is Fatima al-Fihri?

Fatima al-Fihri, also known as Umm al-Banin, was a woman of the 9th century whose family emigrated from Kairouan (in present-day Tunisia) to Fez, Morocco, then a flourishing center of the Idrisid state. According to traditional accounts, after inheriting a substantial sum from her merchant father, she dedicated her wealth to founding a mosque with an attached teaching institution in 859 CE, known as al-Qarawiyyin. Over the centuries the institution grew into a leading center of learning in the Muslim world, teaching religious sciences, grammar, mathematics, medicine and astronomy. Al-Qarawiyyin is frequently cited, including by UNESCO and the Guinness World Records, as the oldest existing, continually operating institution of higher education in the world. Her sister Mariam is traditionally credited with founding the nearby al-Andalusiyyin Mosque. Fatima al-Fihri is celebrated as a symbol of women's contribution to education and philanthropy in Islamic history.

Sources: UNESCO World Heritage listing, Medina of Fez · Guinness World Records, 'Oldest higher-learning institution' (University of al-Qarawiyyin)