Fatima al-Fihri (c. 800–c. 880) is the Arab woman credited with founding the al-Qarawiyyin mosque in Fez in 857–859, which grew into the University of al-Qarawiyyin — recognized by UNESCO and Guinness World Records as the oldest continuously operating educational institution in the world.
The daughter of a wealthy Kairouani merchant family settled in Fez, she spent her inherited fortune on a house of worship and learning; her sister Maryam built the al-Andalus mosque across the city. Her story comes down to us from a 14th-century chronicle — and some modern historians question it.
