The House of Knowledge () was an ancient
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
of the
Fatimid Caliphate (today's
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
), built in 1004 CE as a library and converted by the Fatimid Imam-Caliph
al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah to a state university in the same year.
The 15th-century historian
al-Maqrizi
Al-Maqrīzī or Maḳrīzī (Arabic: ), whose full name was Taqī al-Dīn Abū al-'Abbās Aḥmad ibn 'Alī ibn 'Abd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad al-Maqrīzī (Arabic: ) (1364–1442) was a medieval Egyptian Arab historian during the Mamluk era, kn ...
records that "The House of Wisdom in Cairo did not open its doors to the public except before the furnishing, decoration and beautification of all the doors and corridors, and many servants were appointed. And the number of shelves in forty cabinets, each one of them could accommodate about eighteen thousand books. And (the shelves) were open, and books accessible to everyone. And one who wants a book, then the book can be easily found by him. If a book cannot be found by oneself, one can seek the help of hired handlers."
In keeping with the Islamic tradition of knowledge, the Fatimids collected books on a variety of subjects and their libraries attracted the attention of scholars from around the world. The Imam-Caliph al-Hakim was a great patron of learning and provided paper, pens, ink and inkstands without charge to all those who wished to study there.
See also
*
House of Wisdom
*
Mu'ayyad fid-Din al-Shirazi
*
Library of Alexandria
*
Al-Azhar University
*
Madrasah
*
Nalanda
*
Takṣaśilā
*
Fatimid Great Palaces
References
1004 establishments
11th-century establishments in Egypt
Educational institutions established in the 11th century
Cairo under the Fatimid Caliphate
Libraries in Egypt
Shia Islam
Universities in Egypt
Defunct libraries
11th-century establishments in the Fatimid Caliphate
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