Editing Madrasa (section)

{{short description|School or college, often providing an Islamic education}}
{{Distinguish|Chennai{{!}}Madras|Madrasi|Madrasta (disambiguation){{!}}Madrasta}}
{{redirect-multi|3|Madraseh|Medrese|Madraza|other uses|Madrasa (disambiguation)}}
[[File:RegistanSquare Samarkand.jpg|alt=|thumb|upright=1.25|The three madrasas at the [[Registan]] of [[Samarkand]], built during the [[Timurid Renaissance]]]]
{{Islam}}{{Usul al-fiqh}}
'''Madrasa''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˈ|d|r|æ|s|ə}},<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190606084157/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/madrasa "madrasa"] (US) and {{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/madrasa |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191230224626/https://www.lexico.com/definition/madrasa |url-status=dead |archive-date=2019-12-30 |title=madrasa |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> <small>also</small> {{IPAc-en|US|-|r|ɑː|s|-}},<ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|madrasa|access-date=6 June 2019}}</ref><ref name=":19">{{Cite Merriam-Webster|madrassa|access-date=6 June 2019}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|UK|ˈ|m|æ|d|r|ɑː|s|ə}};<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/madrasah|title=Madrasah|work=[[Collins English Dictionary]]|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|access-date=6 June 2019|archive-date=6 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606084145/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/madrasah|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Arabic]]: مدرسة {{IPA|ar|madˈrasa||ar-مدرسة.ogg}}, {{small|[[Plural|pl.]]}} {{lang|ar|مدارس}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|madāris}}), sometimes [[Romanization of Arabic|romanized]] as '''madrasah''' or '''madrassa''',<ref name=":19" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=madrasa |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/madrasa |access-date=19 November 2023 |website=Cambridge Dictionary}}</ref> is the Arabic word for any [[Educational institution|type of educational institution]], secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary education or higher learning. In countries outside the [[Arab world]], the word usually refers to a specific type of [[religious school]] or college for the study of the religion of [[Islam]] (loosely equivalent to a [[Seminary|Christian seminary]]), though this may not be the only subject studied. 

In an [[Islamic architecture|architectural]] and historical context, the term generally refers to a particular kind of institution in the historic [[Muslim world]] which primarily taught [[Sharia|Islamic law]] and [[Fiqh|jurisprudence]] (''fiqh''), as well as other subjects on occasion. The origin of this type of institution is widely credited to [[Nizam al-Mulk]], a [[vizier]] under the [[Seljuk Empire|Seljuks]] in the 11th century, who was responsible for building the first network of official madrasas in Iran, [[Mesopotamia]], and [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]]. From there, the construction of madrasas spread across much of the Muslim world over the next few centuries, often adopting similar models of architectural design.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":0" />

The madrasas became the longest serving institutions of the Ottoman Empire, beginning service in 1330 and operating for nearly 600 years on three continents. They trained doctors, engineers, lawyers and religious officials, among other members of the governing and political elite. The madrasas were a specific educational institution, with their own funding and curricula, in contrast with the [[Enderun School|Enderun]] palace schools attended by [[Devshirme]] pupils.<ref>{{cite book |last=Aktan |first=Sümer |title=Curriculum Studies in Turkey:A Historical Perspective |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan US |date=2018 |location=United States |pages=46, 76, 77}}</ref>