Cairo, Egypt Cairo is one of the great cities of the Muslim world and, thanks in large part to geography, one of the best preserved. It boasts some of the oldest post-Umayyad architecture in the Middle East, including one of the most intact Abbasid-era mosques, the Masjid Ibn Tulun. Ahmad ibn Tulun, a prominent Abbasid governor of Egypt in the 9th century, intended the … [Read more...]
MADRASSA AL-KAIROUIAN
Fes, Morocco The Madrassa Al-Karouian is not only one of the oldest Islamic sites in North Africa, it is culturally one of the most important institutions in the world. Founded in the mid-9th century, Al-Karouian is generally recognized as the oldest continually operational university of higher education on Earth. This is not merely an Islamic tradition; this recognition … [Read more...]
UQBA MOSQUE (MASJID UQBA)
Kairouan, Tunisia Among the holy cities of Islam, there is no doubt as to the three top contenders: Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. However, when it comes to the fourth, opinions vary wildly. For many Muslims of North Africa, the Tunisian city of Kairouan is the unofficial runner up. Although this distinction is recognized only in the Maghreb region, and largely ignored by … [Read more...]
