Universities in old Islamic World

Arts & Culture History

khoji April 10, 2012, 10:07am 1

By “old” Islamic word I mean Islamic world before Western Renaissance. Before 1500s or so.
So what universities were there where scientific knowledge was imparted besides religious knowledge?

I can think of one name: Jamia Azhar in Egypt.
But I am sure there must have been other universities. It would be strange if Islamic world had no such universities during all that time.

Anyone knows?

muqawwee123 April 10, 2012, 10:25am 2

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

Yes the first name came to my mind is also Jamia Azhar in Egypt.

The situation in Indo-Pak is not satisfactory. You can safely say that during more than 800 years of Muslim rules, they didn’t built any reputed institute. :hinna:

Spain (al-Andlus) produced many scholars like Ibn e Rushd (Averroes) and Muslim there built not only built Masjid e Qartaba but also some universities in Corodaba (Qartaba). After end of Muslim rule in Spain, it is difficult to trace such universities.

Baghdad also remain the center of learning for centuries. Almustansariya University was built in 13th Century by Abbasid caliph Al-Mustansar.

the_kaur April 10, 2012, 12:15pm 3

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

I think Madrassa-i-Rehmaiyya was one good institute in old delhi:), brits destroyed that structure but it was not less than any collage of modern time:)

Mademoiselle April 10, 2012, 1:06pm 4

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

Try this: Educational Inststutions in Golden Age of Islam

muqawwee123 April 10, 2012, 5:06pm 5

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

@Mademoiselle](http://www.paklinks.com/gs/members/mademoiselle.html) Thanks, but the link is not opening here. Can you copy the material (names and years when they built) here.

lethal_kamikaze April 10, 2012, 7:15pm 6

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

Don’t knw about Universities. But many muslim scientist made the difference in this world in different discipline as under:
M. Al-Khwarizmi - Development of Algebra, astronomy, geography, spherical geometry, spherical trigonometry.

Al-Ghazali - anatomy

Ibn al-Nafis - Discovered Pulmonary Circulaton

Fakhr Al-Din Al-Razi - conception of physics

muqawwee123 April 10, 2012, 7:24pm 7

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

Is this Al-Ghazali same as Imam Ghazali?

lethal_kamikaze April 10, 2012, 7:26pm 8

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

Ji

khoji April 11, 2012, 2:03am 9

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

That sounds interesting. Thanks for the link. I will get back after going through this.

Muqawwee, Mutansariya? Didn’t know that. Thanks. Have to read about it.

Mademoiselle April 11, 2012, 7:00am 10

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

Sure These are the ones I could find.

Al Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco - 9th century
Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt - 10th century
Cordova University, Spain - 10th century
University of Timbuktu, Mali - 11th century
Nizamiyah Universities of Neshapur and Baghdad- 11th century
Mustansariya University, Baghdad - 13th century
University of Granada, Spain - 14th century

muqawwee123 April 11, 2012, 7:02am 11

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

Thanks

No one in Indo-Pak

was Mali under Muslim Rule in 11th Century?

ninja_hattori April 11, 2012, 7:05am 12

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

why dont you start zaid hameed islimic open university in pakistan…

muqawwee123 April 11, 2012, 7:07am 13

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

we are talking about old universities from golden era… wo era jis ke gun ga kar Zaid Hamid jaise khwab beechne ka karobar karte hain.

ninja_hattori April 11, 2012, 7:09am 14

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

I think baghdad me bhi koi university honi chahiye thi mongol conquest ke pehle…

muqawwee123 April 11, 2012, 7:10am 15

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

Pura thread padho… Mustansariya is in Baghdad.

Mademoiselle April 11, 2012, 7:27am 16

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

Yeah we had some of the greatest civilizations but no notable islamic university

I googled it and Islam came to Mali in the 11th century under the Songhai Empire when therulers began to adopt Islam.

ninja_hattori April 11, 2012, 7:27am 17

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

^are you from mali?

Mademoiselle April 11, 2012, 7:41am 18

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

Nahi ji, main tou pakki Pakistani hoon

the_kaur April 11, 2012, 7:45am 19

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

Mujhe laga aap french ho:D

muqawwee123 April 11, 2012, 7:50am 20

Re: Universities in old Islamic World

I think it may have a link to Sarandeep (now in Sri Lanka), because when we read about Arab conquests in Sindh, we read about the people kidnapped were on their journey to Sarandeep. Mali (Maldives) is near Sri Lanka.

Several foreign travellers, mainly Arabs, had written about a kingdom of the Maldives ruled over by a queen. This kingdom pre-dated Koimala’s reign. al-Idrisi, referring to earlier writers, mentions the name of one of the queens, Damahaar, who was a member of the Aadeetta (Sun) dynasty.

**The conversion to Islam is mentioned in the ancient edicts written in copper plates from the end of the 12th century AD. There is also a locally well-known legend about a foreign saint (an Azeri from the city of Tabriz) who subdued a demon known as Rannamaari. **Dhovemi Kalaminja, who succeeded Koimala, converted to Islam in the year AD 1153.

The Maldives were the first landfall for traders from Basrah, sailing to Sri Lanka or Southeast Asia. In the Maldives, ships could take on fresh water, fruit and the delicious, basket-smoked red flesh of the black bonito, a delicacy exported to Sindh, China and Yemen. The people of the archipelago were described as gentle, civilised and hospitable. They produced brass utensils as well as fine cotton textiles, exported in the form of sarongs and turban lengths. These local industries must have depended on imported raw materials.