Millions of students graduate each year, whether from high school or by earning a college degree. Graduations are celebrated and regarded as one of the biggest moments in a person’s life. During graduations, alumni wear the traditional cap and gown to represent their achievement. The cap and gown, now seen as a graduation symbol, originates in Islamic culture, particularly during the Islamic Golden Age.
The traditional graduation attire reaches as far back as the 8th century, which is widely recognized as the start of the Islamic Golden Age. For nearly five centuries, the Islamic empire experienced a remarkable flourishing of knowledge, marked by groundbreaking advancements in medicine, mathematics, philosophy, and the sciences. This era gave rise to influential thinkers such as Al-Khwarizmi, Al-Ghazali, and Ibn Battuta, among many others.
The Islamic Golden Age also witnessed the establishment of madrasas—a term derived from Arabic meaning “a place of study.” These institutions laid the groundwork for the modern university system. One of the earliest, and arguably the very first, universities in the world is the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco, founded in 859 CE by Fatima al-Fihri. The University of al-Qarawiyyin continues to operate to this day, earning it recognition as the oldest continuously running university in the world.
One of the many special aspects of madrasas was the scholarly attire. Teachers and students would wear thobes–long garments worn by Muslim men–and turbans to represent their status and thirst for knowledge. Scholars would sometimes place the Quran on top of their headwear to symbolize the importance of divine knowledge. Certain headwear, especially those with tassels, was associated with the idea that the tassels could be used as bookmarks for the Quran, serving as a practical use for the headwear. Although not a widespread tradition, it further shows the special relationship between Muslim scholars and their sources of knowledge.
The establishment and spread of madrasas directly influenced European culture, with countries such as Muslim-ruled Spain serving as a direct link between Europe and the Islamic world. European scholars not only travelled to Muslim countries to study in Islamic centers of learning, but also took inspiration from the madrasa model when founding their institutions. Early European universities–such as the University of Bologna (founded in 1088), the University of Oxford (c. 1096), and the University of Paris (c. 1150)–adopted key structural elements from madrasas, such as specialized fields of study, degrees of certification, and academic dress to represent scholarly rank.
Madrasas also promoted the concept of a scholarly community, in which both teachers and students were engaged in a collective pursuit of knowledge. Titles such as faqih (jurist) and ʿalim (learned one) were used to distinguish levels of expertise—an idea mirrored in Europe through academic titles like Bachelor, Master, and Doctor, which remain in use today.
Although early European universities adopted the Islamic tradition of academic attire, the garments gradually evolved into what we now recognize as the cap and gown. While the style transformed over time, clear similarities remain, especially between the gown and the thobe, both of which are long, flowing garments often used to represent scholarly status. The cap, known today as the mortarboard, also reflects Islamic influence. While the exact origin of the square shape is debated, some scholars believe it was inspired by the fez or the turbans worn by Muslim scholars.
As graduation ceremonies unfold in many countries around the world, few people stop to think about the historical roots of academic dress. The iconic cap and gown, often seen as no more than a Western tradition, has a deeper meaning and heritage that traces back to the early madrasas in the Islamic world. Recognizing the contributions that Islam has had on the modern education system leads us to rethink the common narrative of educational history. The assumption that the university model is solely a product of Europe completely ignores the achievements and influence of the Islamic world. Therefore, understanding and honoring this history not only broadens our perspective but also pays rightful tribute to the civilizations that helped shape the modern academic world we celebrate today.
Add new comment