What is the world’s oldest continuously operating university, according to UNESCO and Guinness World Records?

The University of al-Qarawiyyin is recognized as the world’s oldest continuously operating university.

It was founded in 859 CE in Fez, Morocco, by Fatima al-Fihri, a woman from a wealthy merchant family. The institution began as a mosque and centre of learning, later developing into a major educational institution teaching subjects that included theology, law, grammar, medicine, and astronomy.

Al-Qarawiyyin’s historical role reflects the importance of Islamic scholarly networks in medieval North Africa. Students and scholars from different regions studied there, and its library became an important repository of manuscripts. The institution’s name is linked to Kairouan, the Tunisian city from which al-Fihri’s family originated.

Definitions of “university” differ across historical traditions, so older institutions are sometimes compared using different criteria. UNESCO and Guinness World Records identify al-Qarawiyyin as the oldest existing and continually operating degree-granting educational institution.