Zawiya is an Arabic word (زاوية “corner”), also spelled zawiya, zawiyah, zaouiya, zaouïa zwaya, etc which means ‘Center of Learning’. In pre-colonial times, Zawiya were the primary sources for education in the area, and taught basic literacy to a large proportion of children even in quite remote mountainous areas. Their curriculum began with memorization of the Arabic alphabet and the later, shorter suras of the Qur’an; if a student was sufficiently interested or apt, it progressed to law, theology, Arabic grammar, mathematics, and sometimes astronomy. These are still operational throughout the Maghreb, and continue to be a major educational resource in the Sahel of West Africa, from Mauritania to Nigeria.