1. Nalanda University, India (600BC)

The oldest university in the world is held by Nalanda University which you can see is what remains of it. Its existence showed the strength of Indian culture which emphasizes education long ago.

Many students from Babylon, Greece, Syria, and China came to this university to obtain knowledge in the field of Vedas, linguistics, medicine, surgery, and many more. History showed that this university went through 3 destructive phases but was later rebuilt after each attack.

 2. Al-Karaouine University, Morocco (859)

The second oldest university will be Al-Karouine University as it still remains operational to this day. This institution was founded by a woman named Fatima al-Fihri who was a daughter of a businessman.

What started out as a mosque later expanded into the biggest educational institution in Africa. During its early establishment, this university only offered natural science courses to its students.

Ever since 1957, other science courses start to be added to the university's portfolio.

 3. Al-Azhar University, Egypt (970 - 972)

The second oldest university in the Islamic world that still remain operational today will be Al-Azhar University in Egypt. This university started out as a center of Arabic literature, Islamic sunnah, and other Islamic religious studies.

This university was founded by the Fatimid empire which rule Egypt back then. The name was given to commemorate the son of Fatimah Al-Zahara.

4. Al Nizamiyya of Baghdad, Iraq (1065)

Founded by Khwaja Nizam Al-Mulk in the 11th century, this institution is one of the earliest education facilities established by him. This university managed to attract intelligent scholars at the time to come and share their knowledge with everyone.

One of the most well-known Muslim scholars to have studied here will include Imam Al-Ghazali. The education here was totally free and open to everyone regardless of their background.

Unfortunately, its existence has ceased to exist ever since the attack of the Mongol army in 1258.

 5. University of Bologna, Italy (1088)

This high-level institution was the pioneer of the education center in the Western world until the occurrence of the World War. It is also one of the best universities in Italy constantly placing 1st rank nationally.

Today, Bologna is seen as the best example of the European education system and is always in the top 200 best universities in the world.

 6. Université de Paris, France (1096)

It was generally accepted that the University of Paris was established in 1096 since the actual date cannot be determined. This university is comprised of 4 faculties like literature, medicine, law, and theology.

During its existence, this university was ordered to be closed three times in which the first one in 1229 in which the reason was unknown. The second was during the attack of the Nazi army in 1940 in the Second World War and the third was in 1968 during the Cultural Revolution of the students.

 7. University of Oxford, England (1096)

There have been many claims stating that this university was established at an earlier date, however, it was not supported by any physical proof. The only existing proof indicates that it was founded in 1096. 

 It was when King Henry II forbid students throughout the country from studying at the University of Paris. Similar to Université de Montpellier, Oxford University was also closed twice in the past.

At first, it was during a convicted sentence of its two scholars whereas another one was during the St Scholastic Day Riot in 1355. This renowned university has managed to produce 58 Nobel Prize winners.

 8. Université de Montpellier, France (1150)

Some people have claimed that this institution is far much older than the date of establishment stated above. But there was clearly no concrete proof to back this claim. This university was once closed during the French Revolution in 1973 and later reopened in 1810.

Most of its faculties were destroyed after the revolution and the university was re-founded in 1969 with the main focus on science and technology. Today, this university is comprised of 3 forms mainly the University of Montpellier 1, the University of Montpellier 2, and Paul Valéry University.

 9. University of Cambridge, England (1209)

This university as most of you know has been consistently recognized as one of the best universities in the world. On top of that, Cambridge University is also the second oldest university in the English country.

It was built due to the tension between scholars of Oxford University and the people nearby. This university has been successful in producing as many as 85 Nobel Prize winners. Some of the most popular individuals from this university include Ernest Rutherford and Niels Bohr.

 10. Universidad de Salamanca, Spain (1218)

Established in 1218, the University of Salamanca was built by the King of Spain, King Alfonso IX. It was built as an education center for the Leon people so that they do not have to migrate to other cities for the sake of knowledge.

Today, this university is known for the field of linguistics and humanities. Before going on an expedition to America, Christopher Columbus once met an educator from this institution to discuss his exploration journey.