The University of al-Karaouine (or al-Qarawiyyin, ) is a university in Fes, Morocco. The mosque was founded by Fatima al-Fihri in 859. It had a school, or madrasa, that taught students about Islam. It later became one of the most important centres of learning in the Muslim world. It was made a part of Morocco's modern university system in 1963. It is the oldest continually operating school in the world. It is sometimes also called the oldest university