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81-528: The madrasa is named after the adjacent Ben Youssef Mosque , which was originally the main mosque of the city, founded by the Almoravid Sultan Ali ibn Yusuf (r. 1106–1142 CE). According to historical sources, in particular al-Ifrani , the first madrasa on this site was founded during the Marinid dynasty by Sultan Abu al-Hasan (r. 1331–1348). This dynasty, known for its perpetuation of

162-601: A Sunni institution under Ayyubid rule (today's Al-Azhar University ). By the 900s AD, the Madrasa is noted to have become a successful higher education system. In the late 11th century, during the late ʻAbbāsid period, the Seljuk vizier Niẓām al-Mulk created one of the first major official academic institutions known in history as the Madrasah Niẓāmīyah , based on the informal majālis (sessions of

243-425: A future career. He wrote that this was a transitional stage and that there needs to be flexibility regarding the age in which pupils graduate, as the student's emotional development and chosen subjects need to be taken into account. During its formative period, the term madrasah referred to a higher education institution, whose curriculum initially included only the "religious sciences", whilst philosophy and

324-445: A guide to teachers working at maktab schools. He wrote that children can learn better if taught in classes instead of individual tuition from private tutors , and he gave a number of reasons for why this is the case, citing the value of competition and emulation among pupils, as well as the usefulness of group discussions and debates . Ibn Sīnā described the curriculum of a maktab school in some detail, describing

405-536: A larger külliye or a waqf -based religious foundation which included other elements like a mosque and a hammam (public bathhouse). The following excerpt provides a brief synopsis of the historical origins and starting points for the teachings that took place in the Ottoman madrasas in the Early Modern Period: Taşköprülüzâde's concept of knowledge and his division of the sciences provides

486-632: A madrasa would be referred to as a localized area or center within the mosque for studies and teachings relating the Quran. Among the first advanced topics featured at a madrasa was Islamic law . There was a premium fee required to study Islamic law, which was sometimes fronted by state or private subsidiaries. The topics of this higher education also expanded larger than the Islamic time and area. Arab translations of Greco-Roman classical texts were often examined for mathematical and grammatical discourse. Since

567-424: A mosque, and funded by an early charitable trust known as waqf . Madrasas were largely centred on the study of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). The ijāzat al-tadrīs wa-al-iftāʼ ("licence to teach and issue legal opinions") in the medieval Islamic legal education system had its origins in the ninth century after the formation of the madhāhib (schools of jurisprudence). George Makdisi considers

648-634: A much larger scale. The emergence of the maktab and madrasa institutions played a fundamental role in the relatively high literacy rates of the medieval Islamic world. Under the Anatolian Seljuk , Zengid , Ayyubid , and Mamluk dynasties (11th-16th centuries) in the Middle East, many of the ruling elite founded madrasas through a religious endowment and charitable trust known as a waqf . The first documented madrasa created in Syria

729-610: A number of marble spolia from the ruined palaces of Cordoba in the Ben Youssef Mosque that he built in the 12th century. The basin would have then been re-used again for the Ben Youssef Madrasa, which was built in the same area much later, after the mosque had fallen into neglect. In the 20th century, the basin was removed for study and was housed until recently at the Dar Si Said Museum . After

810-535: A pit is typically buried. Other types of pit latrines may include the Reed Odourless Earth Closet , the arborloo or treebog (very simple types of composting toilet ), or the twin pit pour-flush pit latrine, popularized by Sulabh International . The shelter that covers such a pit latrine is known in some varieties of English as an outhouse . In a location without longer term sanitation infrastructure, such as for emergency sanitation,

891-659: A primary or secondary school. For example, in the Ottoman Empire during the Early Modern Period , madrasas had lower schools and specialised schools where the students became known as danişmends . In medieval usage, however, the term madrasah was usually specific to institutions of higher learning, which generally taught Islamic law and occasionally other subjects, as opposed to elementary schools or children's schools, which were usually known as kuttāb , khalwa or maktab . The usual Arabic word for

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972-455: A series of six small courtyards (three in the northeast wing, three in the southwest wing) which open on both levels from these corridors. Together, the madrasa consisted of 130 student rooms and housed up to 800 students; making it the largest madrasa in Morocco. On the ground floor, the eastern corridor from the vestibule also gives access to an ablutions chamber in the northeastern corner of

1053-422: A standard toilet . It is typically used to describe communal facilities, such as the shallow-trench latrines used in emergency sanitation situations, e.g. after an earthquake, flood or other natural disaster . Many forms of latrine technology have been used, from very simple to more complex. The more sophisticated the system, the more likely that the term "toilet" is used instead of "latrine". A pit latrine

1134-477: A starting point for a study of learning and medrese education in the Ottoman Empire. Taşköprülüzâde recognises four stages of knowledge—spiritual, intellectual, oral and written. Thus all the sciences fall into one of these seven categories: calligraphic sciences, oral sciences, intellectual sciences, spiritual sciences, theoretical rational sciences, and practical rational sciences. The first Ottoman medrese

1215-527: A starting point for higher education for Muslim India. Babur of the Mughal Empire founded a madrasa in Delhi which he specifically included the subjects of mathematics, astronomy, and geography besides the standard subjects of law, history, secular and religious sciences. Although little is known about the management and inner workings of these places of Islamic higher education, religious studies bore

1296-434: A student "had to study in a guild school of law, usually four years for the basic undergraduate course" and ten or more years for a post-graduate course. The "doctorate was obtained after an oral examination to determine the originality of the candidate's theses", and to test the student's "ability to defend them against all objections, in disputations set up for the purpose." These were scholarly exercises practised throughout

1377-402: A trench latrine is a workable solution. It typically consists of a pit or a trench in the ground, 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 m) deep and 4 to 20 feet (1.2 to 6.1 m) long. A slit-trench latrine consists of a relatively shallow trench which is narrow enough to stand with one leg on either side (see defecation postures ). This type is used either by squatting, with the users' legs straddling

1458-420: A university, however, is جامعة ( jāmiʻah ) . The Hebrew cognate midrasha also connotes the meaning of a place of learning; the related term midrash literally refers to study or learning, but has acquired mystical and religious connotations. In English, the term madrasah or "madrasa" usually refers more narrowly to Islamic institutions of learning. Historians and other scholars also employ

1539-443: A vestibule chamber that gives access on one side to the central courtyard. This process of entry, like in many Islamic buildings, is carefully designed to inspire revelation and astonishment in an unexpected opening of space into the main courtyard. The layout of the building centers around the main courtyard, which is surrounded by east and west galleries and student dormitories on the upper and lower levels. Like many Islamic buildings,

1620-558: A widespread problem by the end of 2020, with more than 3 billion people affected (46 % of the global population). Eradication of this public health threat is one of the United Nations' 17 goals for sustainable development. The word "latrine" is derived from the Latin lavatrina , meaning bath. Today it is commonly used in the term " pit latrine ". It has the connotation of something being less advanced and less hygienic than

1701-477: Is a simple and inexpensive toilet, minimally defined as a hole (pit) in the ground. More sophisticated pit latrines may include a floor plate, or ventilation to reduce odor and fly and mosquito breeding (called ventilated improved pit latrine or "VIP latrine"). Many military units, if intended for extended use, place basic shelters and seating over the pits. A pit is typically sited well away from any water sources to minimize possible contamination. After prolonged use,

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1782-472: Is done". Thus, madrasah literally means "a place where learning and studying take place" or "place of study". The word is also present as a loanword with the same general meaning in many Arabic-influenced languages, such as: Urdu , Pashto , Baluchi , Persian , Turkish , Azeri , Kurdish , Indonesian , Somali and Bosnian . In the Arabic language, the word مدرسة madrasah simply means

1863-545: Is estimated from the first day of " nabuwwat " to the first portion of the Umayyad Caliphate . At the beginning of the Caliphate period, the reliance on courts initially confined sponsorship and scholarly activities to major centres. In the early history of the Islamic period, teaching was generally carried out in mosques rather than in separate specialized institutions. Although some major early mosques like

1944-532: Is nonetheless considered by many as the starting point for the proliferation of the formal madrasah across the rest of the Muslim world, adapted for use by all four different Sunni Islamic legal schools and Sufi orders . Part of the motivation for this widespread adoption of the madrasah by Sunni rulers and elites was a desire to counter the influence and spread of Shi'ism at the time, by using these institutions to spread Sunni teachings. Dimitri Gutas and

2025-488: Is still commonly used military parlance, less so in civilian usage except in emergency sanitation situations. Nowadays, the word "toilet" is more commonly used than "latrine", except for simple systems like "pit latrine" or "trench latrine". The use of latrines was a major advancement in sanitation over more basic practices such as open defecation , and helped control the spread of many waterborne diseases . However, unsafe defecation in unimproved latrines still remained

2106-504: Is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution , secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary education or higher learning. In countries outside the Arab world , the word usually refers to a specific type of religious school or college for the study of the religion of Islam (loosely equivalent to a Christian seminary ), though this may not be the only subject studied. In an architectural and historical context,

2187-767: Is tied to the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate in 1206 which set a basis of importance for Muslim education. Under control of the Delhi Sultanate, two early important madrasas were founded. The first was the Mu’zziyya named after Muḥammad Ghuri of the Ghorid Dynasty and his title of Muʿizz al-Dīn and founded by Sultan Iltutmish. The other madrasa was the Nāṣiriyya, named after Nāṣir al-Dīn Maḥmūd and built by Balban. These two madrasas bear importance as

2268-469: The ijāzah to be the origin of the European doctorate. However, in an earlier article, he considered the ijāzah to be of "fundamental difference" to the medieval doctorate, since the former was awarded by an individual teacher-scholar not obliged to follow any formal criteria, whereas the latter was conferred on the student by the collective authority of the faculty. To obtain an ijāzah ,

2349-548: The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy consider the period between the 11th and 14th centuries to be the " Golden Age " of Arabic and Islamic philosophy , initiated by al-Ghazali 's successful integration of logic into the madrasah curriculum and the subsequent rise of Avicennism . In addition to religious subjects, they taught the "rational sciences," as varied as mathematics , astronomy , astrology , geography , alchemy and philosophy depending on

2430-458: The Andalusian cities of Córdoba , Seville , Toledo , Granada , Murcia , Almería , Valencia and Cádiz during the Caliphate of Córdoba . In the Ottoman Empire during the early modern period, "Madaris were divided into lower and specialised levels, which reveals that there was a sense of elevation in school. Students who studied in the specialised schools after completing courses in

2511-640: The Arab-Muslim conquests of the region. Like madrasas (which referred to higher education), a maktab was often attached to an endowed mosque. In the 11th century, the famous Persian Islamic philosopher and teacher Ibn Sīnā (known as Avicenna in the West), in one of his books, wrote a chapter about the maktab entitled "The Role of the Teacher in the Training and Upbringing of Children", as

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2592-464: The Caliphate era of Cordoba (in present-day Spain). It was crafted at Madinat al-Zahra between 1002 and 1007 to serve as ablutions basin and was dedicated to 'Abd al-Malik , the son of al-Mansur , and was one of a series. It was previously kept at the Ben Youssef Madrasa for centuries and was first noted by experts in 1923. Scholar Mariam Rosser-Owen has suggested that the basin was originally imported to Marrakesh by Ali Ibn Yusuf, who incorporated

2673-572: The Great Mosque of Damascus or the Mosque of Amr ibn al-As in Cairo had separate rooms which were devoted to teaching, this distinction between "mosque" and "madrasa" was not very present. Notably, the al-Qarawiyyin ( Jāmiʻat al-Qarawīyīn ), established in 859 in the city of Fes , present-day Morocco , is considered the oldest university in the world by some scholars, though the application of

2754-776: The Ottoman Empire , during the Early Modern Period, the study of hadiths was introduced by Süleyman I . Depending on the educational demands, some madrasas also offer additional advanced courses in Arabic literature , English and other foreign languages, as well as science and world history. Ottoman madrasas along with religious teachings also taught "styles of writing, grammar, syntax, poetry, composition, natural sciences, political sciences, and etiquette." People of all ages attend, and many often move on to becoming imams . The certificate of an ʻālim , for example, requires approximately twelve years of study. A good number of

2835-401: The secular sciences were often excluded. The curriculum slowly began to diversify, with many later madrasas teaching both the religious and the "secular sciences", such as logic , mathematics and philosophy . Some madrasas further extended their curriculum to history , politics , ethics , music , metaphysics , medicine , astronomy and chemistry . The curriculum of a madrasah

2916-696: The ḥuffāẓ (plural of ḥāfiẓ ) are the product of the madrasas. The madrasas also resemble colleges, where people take evening classes and reside in dormitories. An important function of the madrasas is to admit orphans and poor children in order to provide them with education and training. Madrasas may enroll female students; however, they study separately from the men. Features Types Types Features Clothing Genres Art music Folk Prose Islamic Poetry Genres Forms Arabic prosody National literatures of Arab States Concepts Texts Fictional Arab people South Arabian deities In

2997-519: The Ayyubids built many more madrasas across their territories. Not only was the madrasa a potent symbol of status for its patrons but it could also be an effective means of transmitting wealth and status to their descendants. Especially during the Mamluk period, when only former slaves ( mamālīk ) could assume power, the sons of the ruling Mamluk elites were unable to inherit. Guaranteed positions within

3078-491: The Ben Youssef madrasa contains student dormitory cells clustered around the first and second levels of the central courtyard. The madrasa's vestibule chamber gives access to two secondary corridors that circulate around the courtyard to give access to the dormitories on the ground floor, while two stairways from the vestibule give access to similar corridors on the second level. The dorm rooms are additionally arranged around

3159-465: The Latin title licentia docendi 'licence to teach' in the European university may have been a translation of the Arabic, but the underlying concept was very different. A significant difference between the ijāzat al-tadrīs and the licentia docendi was that the former was awarded by the individual scholar-teacher, while the latter was awarded by the chief official of the university, who represented

3240-624: The Quran is the core of all learning, it is described in this journal as the “Spine of all discipline” A typical Islamic school usually offers two courses of study: a ḥifẓ course teaching memorization of the Qur'an (the person who commits the entire Qur'an to memory is called a ḥāfiẓ ); and an ʻālim course leading the candidate to become an accepted scholar in the community. A regular curriculum includes courses in Arabic , tafsir (Qur'anic interpretation), sharīʻah (Islamic law), hadith , mantiq (logic), and Muslim history . In

3321-457: The architectural traditions established in earlier Marinid madrasas: zellij tiling is used along lower walls, calligraphic friezes are generally present at eye-level, and the middle and upper areas of the walls are covered in stucco decoration before transitioning into wooden elements, including ornately-carved eaves . The arches of the ground-floor galleries in the courtyard also have stucco consoles supporting carved wooden lintels that bridge

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3402-563: The arts and literature, ruled from Fez during the 13th to 15th centuries and was responsible for constructing many madrasas across Morocco. Historically, madrasas in the Maghreb served to train ulama (Islamic scholars) in Maliki Islamic law , jurisprudence ( fiqh ), and variant readings ( Qira'at ) of the Qur'an . The Saadian dynasty , which enjoyed the status of sharifs (descendants of Muhammad ), were less dependent on

3483-478: The builder of the madrasa. Numerous other inscriptions are also found throughout the building on various surfaces, often consisting of Qur'anic verses . The large Kufic inscription around the arch of the mihrab , for example, includes the basmala and the tasliyya followed by verse 36 and the beginning of verse 37 from the Surah an-Nur . On display in the madrasa today is an elaborately carved marble basin from

3564-419: The building. The chamber has a square floor plan with four marble columns upholding four arches below a central cupola of muqarnas (similar to the one in front of the madrasa's entrance). The middle of the chamber is occupied by a square water basin, while a series of latrine rooms are accessible around the chamber's perimeter. Notably, it was also in this chamber that an 11th-century marble basin from Cordoba

3645-415: The collective faculty, rather than the individual scholar-teacher. Latrine A latrine is a toilet or an even simpler facility that is used as a toilet within a sanitation system. For example, it can be a communal trench in the earth in a camp to be used as emergency sanitation , a hole in the ground ( pit latrine ), or more advanced designs, including pour-flush systems. The term "latrine"

3726-403: The construction of madrasas spread across much of the Muslim world over the next few centuries, often adopting similar models of architectural design. The madrasas became the longest serving institutions of the Ottoman Empire, beginning service in 1330 and operating for nearly 600 years on three continents. They trained doctors, engineers, lawyers and religious officials, among other members of

3807-469: The construction of madrasas to sustain their legitimacy and the support of the ulama than their Marinid predecessors. Nonetheless, they build many new monuments, including madrasas, in their capital of Marrakesh. The Ben Youssef Madrasa was constructed by the Saadian sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib (r. 1557–1574 CE), a major builder of his period. Its construction probably began soon after he assumed power. It

3888-421: The courtyard have little to no interior decorative elements, the small secondary courtyards that grant access to them do bear some stucco and wooden decoration. The motifs carved into wood and stucco include traditional elements such as arabesques , sebka (or dark wa ktaf ), calligraphic inscriptions , and muqarnas , as well as more distinctly Saadian-era motifs such as pine cones . The street entrance of

3969-407: The courtyard is itself centered around a large shallow reflective pool, measuring approximately 3 by 7 meters. At the southeastern end of the courtyard is another large chamber which served as a prayer hall, equipped with a mihrab (niche symbolizing the direction of prayer ) featuring especially rich stucco decoration. As in classic Marinid madrasas constructed during the century, the layout of

4050-502: The curricula for two stages of education in a maktab school. Ibn Sīnā wrote that children should be sent to a maktab school from the age of 6 and be taught primary education until they reach the age of 14. During which time, he wrote, they should be taught the Qur'an, Islamic metaphysics , Arabic, literature , Islamic ethics , and manual skills (which could refer to a variety of practical skills). Ibn Sīnā refers to

4131-701: The curriculum of the specific institution in question. The madrasas, however, were not centres of advanced scientific study; scientific advances in Islam were usually carried out by scholars working under the patronage of royal courts. During the Islamic Golden Age , the territories under the Caliphate experienced a growth in literacy , having the highest literacy rate of the Middle Ages , comparable to classical Athens ' literacy in antiquity but on

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4212-402: The distances between each pier. The main central courtyard of the madrasa communicates a strong visual experience for visitors and students via these embellishing elements and their symmetrical arrangement. This courtyard is entered from the vestibule via a wooden screen ( mashrabiyya ) under a monumental archway which is itself decorated with carved stucco. Although the student cells that surround

4293-503: The east side of the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi mosque. Ubada ibn as-Samit was appointed there by Muhammad as teacher and among the students. In the curriculum of the madrasa, there were teachings of The Qur'an, The Hadith, fara'iz, tajweed , genealogy , treatises of first aid , etc. There was also training in horse-riding, the art of war, handwriting and calligraphy , athletics and martial arts . The first part of madrasa-based education

4374-479: The focus amongst most other subjects, particularly the rational sciences such as mathematics, logic, medicine, and astronomy. Although some tried to emphasize these subjects more, it is doubtful that every madrasa made this effort. While " madrasah " can now refer to any type of school, the term madrasah was originally used to refer more specifically to a medieval Islamic centre of learning, mainly teaching Islamic law and theology , usually affiliated with

4455-449: The focus of theology and legal study was utmost, specified law schools began their own development. On the theological side however, these remained mainly at the general madrasa since it was more common and easier for the lower-level students to approach. The requirement of competent teachers to keep a madrasa up and running was also important. It was not uncommon for these scholars to be involved in multiple fields such as Abd al-Latif who

4536-480: The governing and political elite. The madrasas were a specific educational institution, with their own funding and curricula, in contrast with the Enderun palace schools attended by Devshirme pupils. The word madrasah derives from the triconsonantal Semitic root د-ر-س D-R-S 'to learn, study', using the wazn ( morphological form or template) مفعل(ة) ; mafʻal(ah) , meaning "a place where something

4617-692: The late 13th century, the first madrasas were being built in Morocco under the Marinid dynasty , starting with the Saffarin Madrasa in Fes (founded in 1271) and culminating with much larger and more ornate constructions like the Bou Inania Madrasa (founded in 1350). During the Ottoman period the medrese ( Turkish word for madrasah ) was a common institution as well, often part of

4698-511: The latter. It is also shallow, with a depth of about 15 cm (5.9 in). This type of latrine is often used in the initial phases of emergencies and is a simple improvement on open defecation fields. A rule of thumb in emergency sanitation provision is to allow 0.25 m (2.7 sq ft) of land per person per day. This means 2,500 m (27,000 sq ft) per 10,000 people per day, or nearly two hectares per week. Men's and women's areas should always be separated. An aqua privy

4779-432: The lower levels became known as danişmends ." Mosques were more than a place of worship as they were also utilized as an area to host community transactions of business. It was the center of most of a city's social and cultural life. Along with this came trades of information and teachings. As the mosque was a starting ground for religious discourse in the Islamic world, these madrasas became more common. In this context,

4860-491: The madrasa is overlooked by an elaborate muqarnas (stalactite or honeycomb-like sculpting) vault in front of the doorway, while another muqarnas cupola is found in the ablutions chamber. The doors of the madrasa are plated with bronze forming an interlacing geometric pattern and enhanced with shallow carved arabesque motifs. The cedar wood lintel above the doors is carved with an Arabic inscription on an arabesque background. The inscription names and praises Sultan Abdallah as

4941-412: The medieval Islamic world, an elementary school (for children or for those learning to read) was known as a ' kuttāb' or maktab . Their exact origin is uncertain, but they appear to have been already widespread in the early Abbasid period (8th-9th centuries) and may have played an early role in socializing new ethnic and demographic groups into the Islamic religion during the first few centuries after

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5022-460: The medreses which was to continue until the end of the empire. The term "Islamic education" means education in the light of Islam itself, which is rooted in the teachings of the Qur'an - the holy book of the Muslims. Islamic education and Muslim education are not the same. Because Islamic education has epistemological integration which is founded on Tawhid - Oneness or monotheism . To Islam,

5103-574: The most important historical buildings in Marrakesh. It closed for restoration again in November 2018 and reopened to the public in April 2022. The madrasa's floor plan occupies a nearly square space measuring approximately 40 by 43 meters. The building is entered from a single street entrance, in front of which is a square vault sculpted with muqarnas . From the doorway, a narrow corridor leads to

5184-594: The new madrasas (and other similar foundations) thus allowed them to maintain some status and means of living even after their fathers' deaths. Madrasas built in this period were often associated with the mausoleums of their founders. Further west, the Hafsid dynasty introduced the first madrasas to Ifriqiya , beginning with the Madrasa al-Shamma῾iyya built in Tunis in 1238 (or in 1249 according to some sources ). By

5265-445: The pit, or by various arrangements for sitting or leaning against a support structure. Such support may be simply a log, plank, branch or similar arrangement placed at right angles to the long axis of the pit. This type of latrine is not commonly found in developing countries but can be used for emergency sanitation. The shallow-trench latrine is similar to the slit-trench latrine but is wider (20–30 cm or 7.9–11.8 in wide) than

5346-546: The recent restoration of the madrasa and the reorganization of the Dar Si Said Museum, the basin has been moved again and is now on display in the prayer hall of the madrasa. Madrasa Madrasa ( / m ə ˈ d r æ s ə / , also US : /- r ɑː s -/ , UK : / ˈ m æ d r ɑː s ə / ; Arabic : مدرسة [mædˈræ.sæ, ˈmad.ra.sa] , pl. مدارس , madāris ), sometimes transliterated as madrasah or madrassa ,

5427-457: The region of Iran in the 11th century under vizier Nizam al-Mulk and subsequently spread to other regions of the Islamic world. The first institute of madrasa education was at the estate of Zayd ibn Arqam near a hill called Safa , where Muhammad was the teacher and the students were some of his followers. After Hijrah (migration) the madrasa of "Suffa" was established in Madina on

5508-605: The same as school does in the English language, whether that is private, public or parochial school, as well as for any primary or secondary school whether Muslim , non-Muslim, or secular. Unlike the use of the word school in British English, the word madrasah more closely resembles the term school in American English, in that it can refer to a university-level or post-graduate school as well as to

5589-498: The secondary education stage of maktab schooling as a period of specialisation when pupils should begin to acquire manual skills, regardless of their social status. He writes that children after the age of 14 should be allowed to choose and specialise in subjects they have an interest in, whether it was reading, manual skills, literature, preaching, medicine , geometry , trade and commerce , craftsmanship , or any other subject or profession they would be interested in pursuing for

5670-576: The shaykhs). Niẓām al-Mulk , who would later be murdered by the Assassins ( Ḥashshāshīn ), created a system of state madrasas (in his time they were called the Niẓāmiyyahs, named after him) in various Seljuk and ʻAbbāsid cities at the end of the 11th century, ranging from Mesopotamia to Khorasan . Although madrasa-type institutions appear to have existed in Iran before Nizam al-Mulk, this period

5751-419: The student's "career as a graduate student of law." After students completed their post-graduate education, they were awarded ijaza s giving them the status of faqīh 'scholar of jurisprudence', muftī 'scholar competent in issuing fatwās ', and mudarris 'teacher'. The Arabic term ijāzat al-tadrīs was awarded to Islamic scholars who were qualified to teach. According to Makdisi,

5832-514: The term "university" to institutions of the medieval Muslim world is disputed. According to tradition, the al-Qarawiyyin mosque was founded by Fāṭimah al-Fihrī , the daughter of a wealthy merchant named Muḥammad al-Fihrī . This was later followed by the Fatimid establishment of al-Azhar Mosque in 969–970 in Cairo, initially as a center to promote Isma'ili teachings, which later became

5913-506: The term generally refers to a particular kind of institution in the historic Muslim world which primarily taught Islamic law and jurisprudence ( fiqh ), as well as other subjects on occasion. The origin of this type of institution is widely credited to Nizam al-Mulk , a vizier under the Seljuks in the 11th century, who was responsible for building the first network of official madrasas in Iran, Mesopotamia , and Khorasan . From there,

5994-487: The term to refer to historical learning institutions throughout the Muslim world , which is to say a college where Islamic law was taught along with other secondary subjects, but not to secular science schools, modern or historical. These institutions were typically housed in specially designed buildings which were primarily devoted to this purpose. Such institutions are believed to have originated, or at least proliferated, in

6075-428: Was an expert in medicine, grammar, linguistics, law, alchemy, and philosophy. The choice of freedom in inquiry was also important. Muslim higher education at madrasas offered not only mastery in specified fields but also a more generalized, broader option. In Muslim India , the madrasa started off as providing higher education similarly to other parts of the Islamic world. The primary function for these institutions

6156-518: Was completed in 1564–1565 CE (972 AH ), as recorded by an inscription, following a style established during the earlier Marinid period. Once finished, it was the largest madrasa in the Maghreb . It was reportedly able to accommodate upwards of 800 students. Closed down in 1960, the building was refurbished and reopened to the public as a historical site in 1982. The Ben Youssef Madrasa currently attracts thousands of tourists every year and remains one of

6237-409: Was created in İznik in 1331, when a converted Church building was assigned as a medrese to a famous scholar, Dâvûd of Kayseri. Suleyman made an important change in the hierarchy of Ottoman medreses. He established four general medreses and two more for specialised studies, one devoted to the ḥadīth and the other to medicine. He gave the highest ranking to these and thus established the hierarchy of

6318-494: Was first noted by Jean Gallotti (a historical arts inspector working for the French Protectorate ) in 1921. The ornamentation of the Ben Youssef Madrasa derives closely from that of earlier Moroccan and Andalusi architecture , which makes use of pools, gardens, fountains, and surfaces covered in zellij (mosaic tilework ) and intricately carved stucco and wood. In particular, the decorative arrangement follows

6399-714: Was the Madrasa of Kumushtakin, added to a mosque in Bosra in 1136. One of the earliest madrasas in Damascus, and one of the first madrasas to be accompanied by the tomb of its founder, is the Madrasa al-Nuriyya (or Madrasa al-Kubra) founded by Nur al-Din in 1167–1172. After Salah ad-Din (Saladin) overthrew the Shi'a Fatimids in Egypt in 1171, he founded a Sunni madrasa near the tomb of al-Shafi'i in Cairo in 1176–1177, introducing this institution to Egypt. The Mamluks who succeeded

6480-524: Was to train and prepare workers for bureaucratic work as well as the judicial system. The curriculum generally consisted of logic, philosophy, law, history, politics, and particularly religious sciences, later incorporating more of mathematics, astronomy, geography, and medicine. Madrasas were often subsidized and founded by states or private individuals, and well-qualified teachers filled in the role for professors. Foundations of Islamic higher education in India

6561-581: Was usually set by its founder, but most generally taught both the religious sciences and the physical sciences. Madrasas were established throughout the Islamic world, examples being the ninth century University of al-Qarawiyyin , the tenth century al-Azhar University (the most famous), the eleventh century Niẓāmīyah , as well as 75 madrasas in Cairo, 51 in Damascus and up to 44 in Aleppo between 1155 and 1260. Institutions of learning were established in

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