2.2 The Nizamiyah of Bagdad

The Nizamiyah is a group of schools which were established by the minister " Nizamul- Mulk " and the one who has designed their system. The kings of Seljukes, after " Alb Arslan " continued building schools following the same system which encouraged the Abbassian Khalifa " Al Mustanser " to build a great school called " Al Mustansriyah " in the 13th century ( A.H ) . It was the greatest school that built in Islam.

The Nizamiyah schools were spread, rapidly, in the Iraqi cities so there were more one school in a city. Every school was supplied by teachers and sources of income to finance. There were 37 schools in Bagdad, 38 in Musel, 4 in Bassra, 3 in Arabil , and 5 in Waset. The total was 87 schools.

3.1 The system of the Nizamiyah

These schools were not the same in their volumes, decorations buildings, equipment and budget. Although there was not a ministry or department, like modern education management and every school acted according to its circumstances, but there were common characteristics were:

2.2 The Nizamiyah of Bagdad

The buildings architecture

The students used to learn in the Iwan then go to the library to read or borrow the books, freely for the poor student. Sometimes the students were asked to copy some books, specially, the ones they borrowed.

	A big hall called " Iwan" was like a big class.
	A hall, smaller than Iwan, called " prayers house " for performing the prayers.
	A place like sitting room where teachers rest after the lectures or to prepare for it.
	A big room as a library filled with books.
	A great hall for living, specially, for the poor and the foreigner students and teachers.
	Other places for the kitchens, toilets bathes and rooms for the servants and workers and dining hall.

The students used to learn in the Iwan then go to the library to read or borrow the books, freely for the poor student. Sometimes the students were asked to copy some books, specially, the ones they borrowed.

Finance
Financing the activities of these schools came from many sources

2.2 The Nizamiyah of Bagdad

The revenues of Awquaf

The Awquaf ( plural of Waquf ) are valuable assets such as lands, animals, buildings or money that rich people give to a high council to run them only, not to sell them, and the revenues are spent in financing the projects that these assets have been specified to serve.

For the importance of the Awquaf, as the main source of financing the expenses of the schools which were necessary for continuing the schools, the management of Awquaf was put under the control of the highest judge of the city.

The donations and charities

Where the rich people and the princes donated these schools asking the satisfaction of Allah.

The legal zakat

One of the ways of spending the zakat is in education where helping the scientists and the students is the same as preparing the Muslims for Jihad (Fighting and defense).

2.2 The Nizamiyah of Bagdad

Management
The people who work in these school were the following ;

	The teachers: (seniors) They are responsible for the teaching operations. The king, the princes
	or the donors of Waquf chose the teachers and state their salaries and other visible benefits
	such as housing and food.

The chosen teacher were from among the famous ones in their science and who have good morals and reputation as well as interested in gaining more knowledge and love writing and authoring books.

The demonstrators; they are teachers or assistants who help students with practical works. Their salaries were less than the teachers' salaries. They were , with the teachers, the educational committee members. The demonstrators , often, repeated the lesson after the teachers.

The management committee, It was composed of.

		Headmaster or principal; he usually , was chosen from among the highest employees.
		He had got some assistants as follows;
		Accountant: who was responsible for the financial matters.
		Stores keeper: who was responsible for the stores and the furniture of the school.
		Other people : who did the lower important jobs.

2.2 The Nizamiyah of Bagdad

3.2 The curriculum and method of teaching

The subjects; they were varied according to the nature of the school and the special belief that was calling for while we found a school teaching one only belief " Malki ' , " Hanafi" or " Shafee" other schools teaches more than one belief.
Beside the religious sciences, the natural sciences, also, have been taught such as medicine, pharmacy, astronomy and many more.

Teaching methods :

The teaching used to start after prayer's time where the teacher sat in a high chair enabling the students to see and hear him. The students were not allowed to attend the lesson after the teacher or to speak interrupting him during the lecture.
One or more demonstrators were standing beside him who were repeating the sentences the teacher said in case of dictation.

Organizing the teaching:

Students were grouped according to their scientific levels ( beginners, intermediates, high ). Each level was the responsibility of one teacher who was teaching them in a circle.

2.2 The Nizamiyah of Bagdad

Lecture and discussion :

It was the style the much used. The teacher started the lesson by a question or by mention the lesson address then he explained the lesson. After finishing, the teachers used to discuss the difficult or the complex points mentioned in the lesson. Sometimes, teachers asked the students some questions to test their understanding.

Teachers used to start by interpreting the Holy Quran, then the Hadith after that the Sirah or the Feqh in order to present the information in a complete and integrated picture. This made the information easier to be understood.

The teachers used to make the period or the duration of the lecture or the speech neither short nor long, half an hour or forty minutes maximum.

The lesson stopped in prayers time, when they hear the calling for prayer " Azan ", and continued after performing the prayers by fifteen minutes. The school days started after performing the doom pray and lasted after performing the night pray. Sometimes there was a rest from after performing the afternoon pray till the sunset pray.

2.2 The Nizamiyah of Bagdad

Dictation; In many times , when there were enough books and their costs are difficult to be afforded by most of the students, teachers dictated the lessons to let the students have a copy from his book. In completing dictation the book or the lessons , the students revised what they have written with the teacher.

After passing an exam or more in the subject, the teacher signed or wrote, that the student has passed the examination and can teach this subject, in the first or in the last page of the student's dictated book.

All subjects were dictated except for the Holy Quran which must be copied, exactly, from a legal approved copy.

The relations between the teacher and the student :

The students chose the subject to another. This freedom has made the relations between the teacher and the students very strong where the teacher was a good example for the students to follow.