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Middle East

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Ibn Khaldun's Study of History (1377 CE)

Statesman, jurist, historian, scholar, and philosopher Ibn Khaldun was born in Tunis on May 27, 1332. Ibn Khaldun is an exemplary example of product of the Islamic education that children and youth received. He received a traditional early education of Qur'an, jurisprudence, and Arabic grammar.

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Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi's Autobiography

In medieval times, education was a key factor of Islamic society. It was considered the purpose for which God created man. As such, belief and education were not separated from one another.

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Ottoman Decree, 1856

The Ottoman Empire undertook extensive reforms between 1839 and 1876, a period known as the Tanzimat (reorganization). Europeanized Ottoman bureaucrats and a series of decrees from the sultan shaped these reforms that sought administrative, military, legal, and educational improvements.

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Girls' Education is the Basis of Civilization and Moral Refinement, 1907

At the turn of the 20th century, Tehran published magazines intended to reshape social practices, to "civilize" and "modernize" the nation.

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Taha Hussein, Minister of Education

In the mid-20th century, countries in the Middle East struggled to establish a post-independence identity.

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Education in Post-Colonial Algeria

In the immediate aftermath of independence, post-colonial governments in the Middle East prioritized education as a cornerstone for economic growth. This included revamping the curriculum, turning classrooms, in many instances, into battlegrounds in political and ideological fights.

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Gülen Movement

Despite media reports in the West that often link Islamic education with radical Islam, there are varieties of modern Islamic education. One such example is the Gülen movement.

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Illustration from The Maqamat of al-Hariri

During the Abassid period and onward, children four or older in villages and urban centers began attending schools (maktabs) attached to mosques to obtain a basic education in religious matters.

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Devshirme System

This Ottoman miniature painting from 1558 shows a group of boys dressed in red, being registered for the devshirme (usually translated as “child levy” or “blood tax”).

Haseki Hürrem Baths in Istanbul
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Ayyubid and Ottoman Architecture

In the Islamic world, women were able to own and control their own property at a time when Christian women in Europe were unable to do so. Many wealthy women endowed public buildings as a mark of their piety.