Looking out from above the thousand year old medina of Fez, Morocco in 1997, the green tiles on the roof of the Qarawiyin Mosque glitter in the setting sun. It is debateably the oldest university in the word and according to Wikipedia Gerbert of Auvergne (930-1003), who became Pope Sylvester II and who supposedly introduced the use of zero and Arabic numerals to Europe, was an alumni of al-Qarawiyyin. The medina is a maze of twisting alleys and covered walkways that make navigation a real challenge. The carpet shop that served tea on it's rooftop terrace, where this photo was taken, had closed due to a fire when I went back in 2000, hopefully it will reopen.
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