2019 №2 (63) Article 8

S.A. Kirillina, E. Yu. Rogacheva

EGYPT AS A CENTER OF WISDOM IN MEDIEVAL ISLAMIC MIDDLE EAST

UDC 962:940.1

The article focuses on the role of Ottoman Egypt as an important center of education and knowledge in medieval Islamic Middle East. Comparative research is significant, for it enables us to single out common and unique features of school education in various cultures, which, in its turn, enables us to find some grains of wisdom which can be adopted by modern education reformers. The article maintains that in Egypt there were a lot of higher religious education institutions and students could receive higher education in 18 cities. It is emphasized that the most important schools were situated in Tanta, Damietta, and Rosetta, where scholars from the capital were educated. Important schools were also situated in Alexandria, El-Mansoura and some other cities. The article maintains that not all provincial institutions of higher education were equally important. There were some less-known mosque-madrassas of Giza and other cities. The article highlights that religious education institutions were created by enthusiastic individuals and not by the state. Special emphasis is laid on the University of Al-Azhar as an important education institution of the Islamic world. The article analyzes both the curriculum and teaching methodology. The author underlines that the aforementioned education institutions were really prestigious. Moreover, they were very particular in their choice of education materials. Pragmatic-oriented people worshiping the European-style education, demanded that the system of education should be reformed, that education should become more systematic, and that schools should be better controlled in their academic curriculum.

 

system of education; Islamic Middle East; Ottoman Egypt; madrassa; Al-Azhar; sharing knowledge; patronage policy

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