The world's oldest still-running university was founded by a woman
In 859 CE Fatima al-Fihri, a merchant's daughter in Fez, used her inheritance to found the mosque and school of al-Qarawiyyin. UNESCO and Guinness World Records recognize it as the oldest existing, continually operating educational institution in the world — still teaching more than 1,100 years later, older than Bologna or Oxford.
How we know
The University of al-Qarawiyyin was founded as a mosque and teaching center in 859 CE in Fez, traditionally credited to Fatima al-Fihri, who endowed it from her inheritance. UNESCO and Guinness World Records cite it as the oldest existing, continually operating educational institution. 2026 − 859 = 1,167 years. It predates Bologna (1088) and Oxford (c.1096).
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