For no particular reason, lately I am becoming more and more fascinated by libraries. Those magical places that are full of all kinds of books, new books, old books, and forgotten books…
Very often you can come across a book that has been gathering dust for years and no one has picked it up.
That’s why I decided to introduce a new blog section. Every week I will write about one of the many beautiful libraries around the world that will leave you speechless with their content, construction, arrangement, and structure.
I have already written about the most beautiful libraries in the world as well as the largest library in Europe. But now I want to ask you if you know which the oldest library in the world is?
You have probably heard about the Library of Alexandria, the largest library of ancient times, located in the Egyptian city of Alexandria.
Among the oldest libraries in the world is Ashurbanipal’s library from the 7th century, which was located in the territory of today’s Iraq.
But which is the library that carries the epithet “oldest” and which is still operating today?
According to historians, the Al-Qarawiyyin Library is the oldest in the world and is still in use. The library exists for 1,163 years and is located in the Moroccan city of Fez.
It was founded in 859 as part of a university that is also one of the oldest universities in the world.
The library and university were founded by Fatima al-Fihri, the daughter of a wealthy Tunisian merchant during a period known as the “Golden Age of Islam”.
Fatima herself studied here, and her original diploma is part of the university’s archives.