Long before Oxford (founded in 1096) or the University of Bologna (founded in 1088), Africa was already home to thriving centers of learning.

Timbuktu’s Sankore University in present-day Mali was a world-renowned institution by the 12th century, with some records indicating scholarly activity as early as the 10th century.
It wasn’t just a religious school—it offered advanced studies in mathematics, astronomy, law, medicine, and literature. Thousands of students and manuscripts passed through its walls.

 Meanwhile, in Egypt, the Al-Qarawiyyin University in Fez (founded in 859 CE) by a Muslim woman, Fatima al-Fihri, is recognized by UNESCO and Guinness World Records as the oldest continuously operating university in the world.

These African universities were centers of not just faith but science, philosophy, trade knowledge, and diplomacy—shaping the minds of scholars across the Islamic and African worlds.

Quote for Thought

“The destruction of African history has been one of the greatest silences of global education.”
— Hidden Voices of the Continent