Ancient universities and famed graduates
The oldest universities in the West were established during the High Middle Ages (1000 to 1300 A.D.) and their graduates have defined the growth of nations.
The University of Oxford in the U.K., for example, has continuously operated since at least 1096. To show you how old that is, consider that the Incan empire probably began in the mid-13th century (although, of course, the Andes have been occupied since at least 10,000 B.C.) Its alumni include 28 prime ministers, 20 Archbishops of Canterbury, 12 saints, 27 Nobel Laureates and Sir Stephen Hawking, according to topuniversities.com.
By comparison, Harvard University in Massachusetts was established 1636. Among its alumni are eight U.S. presidents, 150 Nobel Prize winners and more than 50 Supreme Court justices.
Another university in the West, the University of Bologna in Italy, is older than Oxford and has operated continuously since 1088.
Worldwide, Al-Azhar University in Egypt was established as early as 970 in Cairo. In the 12th century, its treasures were ransacked and nearly 100,000 texts destroyed.
The University of al-Qarawinyyin is actually older than Al-Azhar, having been founded as a mosque in 859 in Fes, Morocco.
In Asia, the oldest universities include the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, established in 1611.