Teaching and Learning in the Islamic West: Some Ideas Regarding the Almohad, Marinid, and Naṣrid Educational Systems

Abstract

The aim of the study is to highlight some characteristics of education during the Almohad, Marinid, and Naṣrid periods, taking into account to the influences exerted in the Andalusian educational system by the Marinids, especially with the establishment of the Andalusian madrasa. Part of the conclusions reached in this study is mainly based on the data offered by the Maghrebi hagiographic literature. The article provides new information on various aspects of education and the educational system in the Islamic West, especially those linked to models of sanctity and educational institutions in the Maghreb and al-Andalus. Other topics covered here include the historical overview of education in the Maghreb and al-Andalus; some examples of women’s education; education and the Berber language; sanctity and education; educational institutions such as the ribāṭ, mosque, madrasa, or school; and the role of the Berber language in the Maghrebi education. In al-Andalus, education was primarily conducted in Arabic, and it will be analyzed. All these aspects are key in understanding not only the processes of Arabization and Islamization, but also the history of religiosity throughout the Islamic West.