Yahya I of Morocco

Son of Muhammad ibn Idris, Yahya I ruled Morocco during an era of tremendous economic growth and intellectual flowering. Under his benevolent administration, the twin banks of Fez expanded into thriving commercial hubs attracting merchants from Iraq, Egypt, and Al-Andalus.

During his reign in 859 CE, wealthy patron Fatima al-Fihriya founded the Mosque and University of al-Qarawiyyin, and her sister Mariam founded the Mosque of the Andalusians. Yahya endowed these institutions, cementing Fez's role as the premier intellectual capital of Africa.