12 centuries of history can now be visited
It was in the year 859 when it began to function. Fatima El-Fihriya, the daughter of a wealthy man, decided to invest her entire inheritance in creating a mosque and knowledge center for her community. This is how Al Qarawiyyin was born, the oldest functioning university center in the world in which this library is located, they explain on the website Ideas.Ted.
Despite the fact that important personalities of Arab culture passed through its classes and corridors and it played a fundamental role during the Middle Ages in the transmission of knowledge between Muslims and Europeans, the he library was in a state that endangered the books and manuscripts it houses.
For this reason, in 2012, the architect Aziza Chaouni was commissioned by the Moroccan Ministry of Culture to carry out its reform. After solving the structural problems, the lack of soundproofing, fixing the poor infrastructure... the new complex, with its intricate mosaics and white arcades, has opened its doors.
The revamped Al Qarawiyyin includes u a reading room, a conference room, a manuscript restoration laboratory, a rare book collection, new offices and a cafeteria. In addition, a 12th-century dome will house permanent and temporary exhibitions.