The oldest continuous center of learning is in Fez, Morocco. The University of al-Qarawiyyin (aka Al-Karaouine) was founded as a mosque in either 857 or 859, and likely scholars were teaching there soon after. According to a 14th-century manuscript, al-Qarawiyyin was founded by Fatima al-Fihri, a wealthy woman from a merchant family, who had immigrated […]
Fez, the Oldest “University” Read More »
Here’s a late 14th-century illustration of the African trading route to Ghana, one of the world’s key areas of commerce and part of the Kingdom of Mali (of Mansa Musa fame). And this map is the closet pictorial representation I could find to document the constitution of the Medieval Mali Empire, because it is actually
Medieval Mali Manden Charter Read More »
Many are looking forward to the fall because of the cooler nights, pumpkin-spice everything, and the changing leaves: here’s a Medieval skeleton to enhance the mood. This chap, known to archaeologists as T US 380, lived between the 6th and 8th centuries among the Longobard peoples in Italy. He had had a hard life, dying
Early Medieval Knife Prothesis Read More »
As the 1300s began, the Christian-held areas of Spain saw an influx of slaves from a variety of cultures: Greeks, Armenians, Turks, foreign Muslims, and sub-Saharan Africans. While Christians (as well as Muslims and Jews) had legally enslaved people for centuries, they were newly confronted with the fact that some of their Muslim neighbors were
Medieval slavery and blackness Read More »
This is a beautiful modern artistic rendition of one of China’s most famous poets: Li Qingzhao (1084- ca. 1155). Her works reflect a sort of artistic craftsmanship that cannot be translated into English, and also a unique window into a woman’s mind from a time of strident patriarchy. Most of her writings have been lost,
Li Qingzhao the Famous Medieval Chinese Poetess Read More »
