Fatima al Fihriya - The Legendary Founder of the World’s First University

Fatima al Fihriya was a Moroccan lady who founded the world’s first university in history, the University of Al Quaraouiyine in Fez, Morocco, way back in 859 AD.

As the legend goes, Fatima al Fihriya inherited a great deal of wealth after her father’s passing, and decided to use her fortune for the greater good. She used her hard-earned cash to build the university and recruited the best scholars, scientists and theologians to teach at the institution.

Now, the word “university” may give you a picture of a massive campus with beautifully manicured lawns and state-of-the-art facilities, but Fatima al Fihriya’s university was more like a small mosque which later expanded to include multiple buildings that housed academic faculties like theology, law, medicine and more.

Fatima al Fihriya was said to have a great sense of humour and was known to play practical jokes on scholars during lectures. She would often sneak into the classroom undetected and replace the scholar’s notes with doodles and sketches or swap out their ink with invisible ink so they could barely see what they were writing.

In addition to her academic pursuits, Fatima al Fihriya was a great philanthropist and donated a portion of her wealth to support orphanages, hospitals and other charitable causes. She was also known to throw lavish parties for her fellow scholars, complete with food, music and poetry.

Although she lived more than a thousand years ago, Fatima al Fihriya’s legacy continues to this day. The University of Al Quaraouiyine still exists and remains a centre of learning to this day, and has been recognised by UNESCO as the world’s oldest continuously operating degree-granting university.

So, if you’re ever in Fez, Morocco, be sure to pay a visit to the University of Al Quaraouiyine and give a shout-out to Fatima al Fihriya, the badass lady who founded the world’s first university and kept scholars entertained with her witty sense of humour.