On March 9, The President, Vice President and Head of International Relations of the Israel Academy, Prof. David Harel, Prof. Margalit Finkelberg and Dr. Neta Peretz, visited the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, recognized by UNESCO as the oldest existing, continually operating and the first degree awarding educational institution in the world. Famous alumni who studied at the University include Muslim philosopher Ibn Rushd (1126-1198), Pope Sylvester II (c. 946-1001), and Maimonides (1138-1204). The Israeli delegation met with President and Vice-President of the University, Dr. Amal Jalal and Dr. Idriss Al Fassi, who detailed the University’s history throughout the centuries. The delegation members later visited the University’s archive and restoration lab, where they saw various medieval manuscripts, including one of the oldest manuscripts of the Quran in the world, and Aristotle's Ethics translated into Arabic.

 

 Left to right: Dr. Neta Peretz, Prof. David Harel, Dr. Amal Jalal, and Prof. Margalit Finkelberg.