Fatima al-Fihri founds al-Qarawiyyin
859 CE · The Abbasid Caliphate & Golden Age
In Fes, Fatima al-Fihri spends her inheritance building the al-Qarawiyyin mosque, whose teaching circles grow into what UNESCO and Guinness World Records recognise as the world’s oldest continuously operating institution of higher learning — still granting degrees today. Her sister Maryam is credited with the al-Andalus mosque across the river.