The main center of learning in the Islamic and Arabic world and the world's first university, al-Azhar University is both a religious and secular institution centered around the mosque of the same name in the medieval quarter of Cairo, Egypt. al-Azhar was founded by the Shīʿite (specifically, the Ismāʿīlī sect) Fāṭimids, descendants of Mohammad's daughter Fatima, in 970 A.D. and was formally organized by 988 A.D.
The University of Bologna, founded in 1088, was the first European university to be established. Founded as an institution of the study of individual rights and law at the end of the 11th century, the University of Bologna carries on this tradition as one of the finest law schools in the world.
The University of Oxford is the oldest and one of the most prestigious universities in the English-speaking world. Although there is no clear date of foundation, teaching has existed at Oxford in some form since 1096. It developed rapidly after 1167 when King Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris.
University of Paris, founded about 1170, evolved from the cathedral schools of Notre Dame. Like most other medieval universities, the University of Paris was a kind of corporate company that included both professors and students. It became the great center of learning for Christian orthodox theological teaching during the medieval period.
The University of Modena, founded in 1175, suffered dramatic twists of fate early in its history as the region around the city went from one medieval power to another. Several times during its early years, the university was forced to close. Only after the D'Este court moved from Ferrara to Modena in 1598 did the university acquire the funding necessary to expand and start courses in law, philosophy, mathematics and medicine.