The University of Al-Karaouine or Al-Qarawiyyin (other transliterations of the name include Qarawiyin, Kairouyine, Kairaouine, Qairawiyin, Qaraouyine, Quaraouiyine, Quarawin, and Qaraouiyn) is a university located in Fes, Morocco which was founded in 859. The madrasa has been (and still is) one of the leading spiritual and educational centers of the Muslim world. The Al-Karaouine madrasa played a leading role in the cultural and academic relations between the Islamic world and Europe in the middle