madrasah

/meuh dras"euh/, n. Islam.

a school or college, esp. a school attached to a mosque where young men study theology.

Also, madrasa.

[ < Ar]

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(Arabic: "school") Islamic theological seminary and law school attached to a mosque.

The residential madrasah was a newer building form than the mosque, flourishing in most Muslim cities by the end of the 12th century. The Syrian madrasahs in Damascus tended to follow a standardized plan: An elaborate facade led into a domed hallway and then into a courtyard where instruction took place, with at least one eyvan (vaulted hall) opening onto it. The madrasah at the Qalaun Mosque in Cairo (1283–85) has a unique cruciform eyvan on the richly carved qibla (wall facing Mecca) side and a smaller eyvan opposite. Residential cells for scholars occupy the other two sides.

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▪ Muslim educational institution

(Arabic: “school”),Turkish  Medrese,  

      in Muslim countries, an institution of higher education. The madrasah functioned until the 20th century as a theological seminary and law school, with a curriculum centred on the Qurʾān. In addition to Islāmic (Islāmic world) theology and law, Arabic grammar and literature, mathematics, logic, and, in some cases, natural science were studied in madrasahs. Tuition was free, and food, lodging, and medical care were provided as well. Instruction usually took place in a courtyard and consisted primarily of memorizing textbooks and the instructor's lectures. The lecturer issued certificates to his students that constituted permission to repeat his words.

      Princes and wealthy families donated funds for the erection of buildings and for stipends to students and lecturers. By the end of the 12th century, madrasahs flourished in Damascus, Baghdad, Mosul, and most other Muslim cities.

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