medresehs

Medresehs, also spelled medreses or madrasas, are Islamic religious schools that traditionally educate students in Islamic sciences and languages. The term comes from the Arabic madrasa, meaning "a place of study." Historically, madrasas were established as independent institutions or attached to mosques and were central to higher learning in many Islamic regions.

Origins and development: Early forms appeared in the 9th–10th centuries in the Abbasid world, but the first durable, state-sponsored models emerged with the Nizamiyya schools founded in the 11th century by Nizam al-Mulk in Baghdad and Nishapur. Over the centuries, madrasas flourished across the Islamic world, including Persia, the Ottoman and Mughal realms, Central Asia, and parts of North Africa. In the Timurid and Ottoman periods, they formed major architectural complexes, combining teaching spaces, libraries, and student housing. The core curriculum centered on Qur’an, hadith (prophetic traditions), fiqh (jurisprudence) and usul al-fiqh (principles of Islamic law), with studies in Arabic grammar and rhetoric; some institutions also taught mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy to support legal and governance work. Graduation often conferred a license to teach or judge, and graduates could become qadis (judges), muftis, or administrators.

Modern era: The role of medresehs declined with the rise of modern, secular education but they persist in many regions. In Iran, Turkey, Central Asia, and South Asia, medresehs continue to operate, ranging from traditional Quranic schools to institutions offering both religious and secular curricula.