Samarkand, Uzbekistan, a Madrasa in Registan Square. (I took this picture in 1968 long before restoration of the Registan Square began). This building was able to withstand quite well when an earthquake struck this area in early 1966. “‘Madrasa”” means a learning institutions. The education system ln Muslim regions consisted of Maktab for children up to age of 6 where they learned basics and ability to read Quran and memorised surahs required to read the in the daily prayers. The Maktab was followed by Madrasas and they had 16 grades ln 2 levels. Level 1 from age 6 to 14 and level 2 from The 15 to 22. The curriculum of Madrasa was multidisciplinary and included subjects like science, logic, Falsafa (philosophy), literature, law, governance religion and others. Haroon Al Rashid in 790 in Baghdad started the first Madrasa, an institution of advanced learning called Al Nizamya center of knowledge. Madrasa in the Muslim world were modeled after the house of wisdom and knowledge in Baghdad.
Al-Azhar in Cairo, the oldest University in the world started in 970, in comparison Oxford started in 1248 and Harvard in 1636. Two other old institutions of advanced learning were, Ez Zaitona in Tunisia, which started in 737 and Al Quaraouiyine in Morocco established in 859. The curriculum was multi disciplinary and that is why the early Islamic scholars were scientists, philosophers, mathematicians and at the same time scholars of Islam. Khaliq
The ABCs of Islam and Sufism 