Au total, pas moins de 22 700 fidèles peuvent entendre la prière à la fois. Makdisi, George: "Madrasa and University in the Middle Ages". [5] The prayer hall was extended by dismantling the existing southern (qibla) wall and adding three more transverse aisles, bringing the number of these from 7 to 10, while essentially replicating the format of the existing arches of the mosque. Notably, a number of water clocks were built for it, the last of which, built on the orders of Sultan Abu Salim Ali II (ruled 1359-1361), is still partly preserved today. [16] However, Chafik Benchekroun argued more recently that a more likely explanation is that this inscription is the original foundation inscription of the Qarawiyyin Mosque itself and that it might have been covered up in the 12th century just before the arrival of the Almohads in the city. جامع القرويين: المسجد و الجامعة بمدينة فاس، موسوعة لتاريخها المعماري و الفكري ( المجلد الاول). [6][4][3][7] Jacques Verger says that while the term 'university' is occasionally applied by scholars to madrasas and other pre-modern higher learning institutions out of convenience, the European university marked a major disruption between earlier institutions of higher learning and were the earliest true modern university. The madrasa has produced numerous scholars who have strongly influenced the intellectual and academic history of the Muslim world. Du lieu de culte au lieu d'enseignement « universel ». [1] At the same time, the student numbers at al-Qarawiyyin dwindled to a total of 300 in 1922 as the Moroccan elite began to send its children instead to the new-found Western-style colleges and institutes elsewhere in the country. [29][30] It appears that the al-Andalusiyyin Mosque, in the district across the river, also served a similar role up until at least the Marinid period, though it evidently never equaled the Qarawiyyin's later prestige. al-qarawiyin is the oldest university in Morocco. For example, Morocco transformed Al-Qarawiyin (859 A.D.) into a university under the supervision of the ministry of education in 1963. This transfer happened either in 919-18 or in 933, both dates which correspond to brief periods of Fatimid domination over the city, which suggests that the transfer may have occurred on Fatimid initiative. Il ouvrit ainsi un dossier consacré à l'université Al Quaraouiyine et promulgua un dahir royal en l'an 1203 de l'Hégire (1789 de l’ère chrétienne) où il demanda au cheikh d’Al Quaraouiyine de définir les matières enseignées et d’en indiquer les ouvrages de référence. Gifts from wealthy donors were spent on accumulating a huge collection of manuscripts, eventually housed in a library built by Sultan Abu Inan Faris in 1349. Your email address will not be published. Al-Jazna'i, the 14th-century author of the Zahrat al-As, mentions that teaching had taken place there well before his time, but with no other details. À cette occasion, on organisait des colloques scientifiques, des débats autour des questions cruciales ; on prononçait des discours et on lisait des poèmes. Significantly, the institutional adjustments of the madrasahs affected both the structure and the content of these institutions. There were also other religious schools like the madras of ibn yusuf and other schools in the sus. Like the interior of most traditional mosques in Moroccan architecture, it is a relatively austere space, with mostly plain walls, wooden roofs, and rows upon rows of arches. [20][4][21][6] The Al-Fihri family had migrated from Kairouan (hence the name of the mosque), Tunisia to Fes in the early 9th century, joining a community of other migrants from Kairouan who had settled in a western district of the city. [67] The present-day mosque thus covers an extensive area of about half an hectare. Ces diverses branches qui, si elles sont concentrées dès l'époque à la Quaraouiyine avec logiquement des professeurs pour chaque matière, peuvent symboliser les futures facultés d'après les futures notions occidentales. [5][59] Additionally, there are several elaborately carved bronze chandeliers hanging in the nave which were gifted to the mosque during the Almohad and Marinid eras; at least three of which were made from bells (probably church bells) brought back from victories in Spain. Fatima vowed to spend her entire inheritance on the construction of a mosque suitable for her community. [5]:12 In any case, the mosque and its learning institution continued to enjoy the respect of political elites, with the mosque itself being significantly expanded by the Almoravids and repeatedly embellished under subsequent dynasties. [43][39] Also recently rediscovered in the library is a ijazah certificate, written on deer parchment, which some scholars claim to be the oldest surviving predecessor of a Medical Doctorate degree, issued to a man called Abdellah Ben Saleh Al Koutami in 1207 CE under the authority of three other doctors and in the presence of the chief qadi (judge) of the city and two other witnesses. It was constructed in local limestone of relatively poor quality and was covered in whitewash by the Marinids in the 13th century in order to protect it from deterioration. As proof thereof and without wishing here to recount the whole history of the birth of universities, it will suffice to describe briefly how the invention of universities took the form of a polycentric process of specifically European origin. Il y attira des Oulémas d’autorité venus sous le nom de « Achcharratine » et institua la tradition dite «  Soltane Tolba » (sultan des étudiants) ; manifestation qui avait lieu chaque année durant les vacances du printemps sous le Patronage de l’Etat et du Roi lui-même, et au cours de laquelle la masse des étudiants choisissait un Sultan, désignait son gouvernement pour une période de quinze jours. La mosquée compte 270 colonnes formant 16 nefs de 21 arcs chacune. [5][58]:119 It had a rectangular floor plan measuring 36 by 32 metres, covering an area of 1520 square metres, and was composed of a prayer hall with four transverse aisles running roughly east–west, parallel to the southern qibla wall. The degrees awarded by European universities – the bachelor's degree, the licentiate, the master's degree, and the doctorate – have been adopted in the most diverse societies throughout the world. [5][36] During the 10th century, the Umayyad Caliphate of Cordoba (in Spain/Portugal) and the Fatimid Caliphate (in Tunisia) constantly vied for control over Fes and Morocco, seen as a buffer zone between the two. Belhachmi, Zakia: "Gender, Education, and Feminist Knowledge in al-Maghrib (North Africa) – 1950–70", Pedersen, J.; Rahman, Munibur; Hillenbrand, R.: "Madrasa", in. No one today would dispute the fact that universities, in the sense in which the term is now generally understood, were a creation of the Middle Ages, appearing for the first time between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. [42][41] This new library expansion was inaugurated in 1949. [36]:137[80][81][46][82][83] The claim is also published by Guinness World Records under its entry for "Oldest higher-learning institution, oldest university", where it describes the Qarawiyyin as the "oldest existing, and continually operating educational institution in the world" while the University of Bologna is described as the "oldest one in Europe". L'université délivre des diplômes visés par l'État marocain[23]. [68][40]:150, The interior hypostyle prayer hall takes up most of the mosque's area. [1]:71, By the 19th century, the mosque's library had also suffered from decline and neglect. [31][27][1][22]:455 By contrast, some subjects like alchemy/chemistry (al-kimiya) were never officially taught as they were considered too unorthodox.[22]:455. The best-preserved ... School has been in session at Karaouine University since 859, making it the world's oldest continuously operating university. Pour assurer l’entretien de l’édifice et en garantir le fonctionnement, elle légua en biens de mains mortes (waqf) tous ses trésors. La dernière modification de cette page a été faite le 15 novembre 2020 à 11:47. La mosquée fut alors dotée d’un minbar et appelée mosquée "al Quaraouiyine" (mosquée des kairouanais) [14], en hommage à la ville d'origine de Fatima al-Fihriya. Thus gratuitous transfers may be made from one culture to the other, and the time factor may be ignored or dismissed as being without significance. [26] Upon reviewing the evidence in Abdelhadi Tazi's work, Abdul Latif Tibawi states that: A number of well-known philosophers, scholars, and politicians in the history of Morocco and the western Mediterranean have either studied or taught at the Qarawiyyin since its founding. [31], At the time Morocco became a French protectorate in 1912, al-Qarawiyyin had witnessed a decline as a religious center of learning from its medieval prime. L'eau fut fournie par un puits creusé également au même lieu. Officially recognized by the Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur, de la Recherche Scientifique et de la Formation des Cadres (Ministry of Higher Education, … [5] Made of wood in an elaborate work of marquetry, decorated with inlaid materials and intricately carved arabesque reliefs, it marked another highly accomplished work in a style that was emulated for later Moroccan minbars[5][59], Elsewhere, many of the mosque's main entrances were given doors made of wood overlaid with ornate bronze fittings, which today count among the oldest surviving bronze artworks in Moroccan/Andalusian architecture. The al-Qarawiyyin mosque, a religious school / college was founded by Fatima al-Fihri in 859 with an associated school, or madrasa, which subsequently became one of the leading spiritual and educational centers of the historic Muslim world. [5][41] The collection housed numerous works from the Maghreb, al-Andalus, and the Middle East. It is a common misconception that the university is open only to men; it is open to both men and women. [75] The library complex underwent another major restoration in recent years led by Aziza Chaouni and was set to reopen in 2016 or 2017. It was founded as a mosque in Fès in the middle of the ninth century. [5] It is sometimes cited as the world's oldest library that has remained open to the present day. [19]:387–389[54]:168, In 1947, al-Qarawiyyin was integrated into the state educational system,[7] but it was only by royal decree after independence, in 1963, that the madrasa was finally transformed into a university under the supervision of the ministry of education. Even Spanish Muslim converts frequently attend the institution, largely attracted by the fact that the sheikhs of the Qarawiyyin, and Islamic scholarship in Morocco in general, are heirs to the rich religious and scholarly heritage of Muslim al-Andalus. Its overall form, with a square shaft, was indicative of the subsequent development of North African (Maghrebi) and Andalusian minarets. L'historien marocain Mohammed Al-Manouni pense que c'est sous le règne des Almoravides que l'université s'ajouta réellement à la mosquée[15]. [1], In 1975, the General Studies were transferred to the newly founded Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University; al-Qarawiyyin kept the Islamic and theological courses of studies. The main area, south of the courtyard, is a vast space divided into ten transverse aisles by rows of arches running parallel to the southern wall. Al-Jaznaï, Zahrat al-Âs, trad. [5] (These features are visible to visitors standing outside the gate.) [5] Behind the southern qibla wall, to the west of the mihrab axis, is an area known as the Jama' al-Gnaiz ("Funeral Mosque", or sometimes translated as "Mosque of the Dead"), which served as a separate oratory reserved for funerary rites. [19] According to one of the major early sources on this period, the Rawd al-Qirtas by Ibn Abi Zar, Al-Qarawiyyin was founded as a mosque in 859 by Fatima al-Fihri, the daughter of a wealthy merchant named Mohammed Al-Fihri. We also aim at promoting tourism across the African continent. The Adjustments of Original Institutions of the Higher Learning: the Madrasah. Contact Us Elle est considérée comme la plus ancienne université dans le monde encore en activité par l'UNESCO[1],[2], le Livre Guinness des records[3], et par plusieurs historiens[4],[5],[6],[7],[8],[9],[10],[11]. The earliest date of formal teaching at al-Qarawiyyin is also uncertain. [5], One of the most significant expansions and renovations was carried out between 1135 and 1143 under the patronage of the Almoravid ruler Ali Ibn Yusuf, and the current form of the mosque owes much to this work. As for the nature of its curriculum, it was typical of other major madrasahs such as al-Azhar and Al Quaraouiyine, though many of the texts used at the institution came from Muslim Spain...Al Quaraouiyine began its life as a small mosque constructed in 859 C.E. Selon la tradition, sa construction débute en 859 sous le règne de la dynastie idrisside. [35], In the 10th century, the Idrisid dynasty fell from power and Fes became contested between the Fatimid and Cordoban Umayyad caliphates and their allies. Un article de Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre. [1] While the dean took its seat at Fez, four faculties were founded in and outside the city: a faculty of Islamic law in Fez, a faculty of Arab studies in Marrakech and a faculty of theology in Tétouan, plus one near Agadir in 1979. [1] In 1931 and 1933, on the orders of Muhammad V, the Qarawiyyin's teaching was reorganized into elementary, secondary, and higher education. One of the oldest known historical sites, The Forgotten Story of Human Zoos – Crimes of the Colonial Era, Meet the Melanasians; the world’s black people with blond hair. Most students at the Qarawiyyin range from between the ages of 13 and 30, and study towards high school-level diplomas and university-level bachelor's degrees, although 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"). [1], Among opposing views, Yahya Pallavicini claims that the university model did not spread in Europe until the 12th century and that it was found throughout the Muslim world from the founding of al-Qarawiyyin in the 9th century until at least European colonialism. Sa construction débute en 857 à Fès, sous le règne de la Dynastie Idrisside. دار نشر المعرفة. La première mosquée était un simple oratoire, la prière du vendredi continuant d’être prêchée à la mosquée al-Shurafa. [5] The caliph approved, and the work was carried out or completed in 956. It has a square shaft and is topped by a dome, as well as a parapet from which the muezzin historically issued the call to prayer (adhan). [5][58] This expansion required the purchase and demolition of a number of neighbouring houses and structures, including some that were apparently part of the nearby Jewish neighbourhood (before the existence of the later Mellah of Fes). [5] The most ornate and best-preserved examples include the doors of the principal northern gate, Bab al-Ward (which opens onto the courtyard), the western gate called Bab Sbitriyyin (whose current doors, however, are replicas replacing the originals now kept by the Dar Batha Museum[58]), and the southwestern gate Bab al-Gna'iz which leads to the Jama' al-Gna'iz or Funeral Mosque. One cannot therefore be too careful in attempting a comparative study of these two institutions: the madrasa and the university. [5] The gallery and arched hall on the northeastern sides of the courtyard are a prayer space reserved for women.