The role of Kuttabs and libraries in promoting science during the Hafsid era

Abstract

          This research addressed the role of Kuttabs and libraries in supporting the scientific movement during the Hafsid state (1229-1574 AD), which ruled large areas of North Africa, especially Tunisia. The study reviewed how these institutions contributed to the dissemination of science despite the turbulent political conditions. This state emerged as an independent emirate during the reign of Abu Zakariya Yahya I, then turned into a caliphate. Which was characterized by periods of strength and weakness, and was affected by foreign interventions, especially Spanish and Ottoman. Kuttabs were among the most important educational institutions, where the memorization of the Qur’an and the teaching of reading, writing, religious and linguistic sciences were taught. Education in them was not limited to males only, but there were Kuttabs designated for women, such as the one established by "Umm Al-Ala Al-Hajjariyya". Libraries also flourished during the Hafsid state, and sultans and scholars paid great attention to them. The research reached results and recommendations, the most prominent of which was emphasizing the role of the Hafsid state in promoting the scientific renaissance by supporting educational institutions. She recommended the necessity of studying the different historical periods of the Maghreb countries to understand their role in spreading science.