Al-Qarawiyyin Library

The library of the Al-Qarawiyyin is the oldest continuously operating library in the world. Founded in the 9th century alongside the mosque and university, it holds 4,000 manuscripts — some dating to the 9th century, written on gazelle skin in Kufic script.

The library was closed to the public for centuries. In 2016, a Moroccan-Canadian architect named Aziza Chaouni completed a restoration that opened selected rooms to visitors for the first time. The work took five years. The problems were structural — the roof leaked, the manuscripts were deteriorating, the foundations were sinking into the water table of the Fes medina.

The collection includes a 9th-century Quran, Ibn Khaldun's original manuscripts, and the earliest known text of Ibn Rushd (Averroes). Most are too fragile to display permanently. What you see is the reading room — a high-ceilinged space with carved cedarwood shelving, tiled floors, and the particular quality of filtered light that old Fes buildings produce through their lattice windows.

Access is limited and often requires advance arrangement. The university and mosque are closed to non-Muslims; the library operates on its own schedule.