Fatima Al-Fihri

The oldest existing, continually operating, and first degree-awarding university in the world is in Fez, Morocco. So is the oldest library in continuous use. A women established both.

Born c. 800 CE, Fatima bint Muhammad Al-Fihriya Al-Qurashiya was an Arab Muslim born in Mairouan, in present-day Tunisia. Her family was not wealthy, but they traveled with others during a migration to Fez where her father became a successful merchant.