Oxford, Where Cultures Meet... 501
At Oxford, one does not simply visit a university or a city. One moves through a history, a way of inhabiting knowledge, where ancient stones converse with the ambitions of a global youth. Each college has its own distinctive entrance, sometimes understated yet imposing, its own soul, its architecture, its rituals, its silent gardens, its libraries heavy with centuries. Yet some places leave a deeper mark than others. Among them, Oriel College holds a special place.
Founded in the 14th century, it conveys a rare balance between tradition and movement. Behind its austere walls lies an intense intellectual life, carried by students from all corners of the world and teachers who seem almost angelic, with smiles that are both learned and human. In its cobbled courtyards, footsteps intersect, often fleeting, light, almost imperceptible. One hears a blend of African, Asian, European, and American accents, and more besides. This diversity is not an institutional slogan; it is visible in cafés, libraries, in front of food trucks, in streets and alleyways.
Leaving the edges of High Street to reach Oriel Square, crossing Broad Street, Catte Street, or Cornmarket Street, one quickly understands that Oxford lives to the rhythm of its ever-renewing youth. Bicycles and scooters, now electric, rush between Gothic buildings. Bookshops overflow with students. Terraces hum with conversation. Drinks are refreshing and inspiring. Here, the city seems to belong first and foremost to its students.
Unlike certain large American universities such as Harvard, where the presence of researchers, professors, and doctoral students can sometimes create the impression of a scholarly city dominated by the academic elite, with relatively few undergraduates, Oxford appears above all to breathe student life. In the narrow streets lined with its centuries-old colleges, it is mainly young people one encounters: hurried students, groups conversing in multiple languages, readers absorbed in their books on the lawns of Christ Church Meadow or around Radcliffe Square.
This constant youth gives Oxford a distinctive energy. Tradition does not stifle the future; it nourishes and shapes it. Each college represents a small, autonomous world with its own customs, residences, dining halls, gardens, and nourishing libraries. Yet all take part in a shared academic civilization where intellectual curiosity remains a central value, a reason for being.
Among the places that best illustrate this continuity of knowledge is the History of Science Museum. Nestled on Broad Street, facing the historic heart of the university, the museum reminds us that science has never been the work of a single civilization. One discovers, in particular, magnificent Moroccan astrolabes of exceptional precision and beauty, bearing witness to the major role played by Moorish scholars in the history of astronomy, mathematics, cartography, and navigation.
These ancient instruments tell a truth often forgotten: long before modern Europe, cities such as Fez, Marrakech, and Cordoba were already major centers of scientific and philosophical production. The astrolabes displayed in Oxford symbolize this circulation of knowledge between civilizations.
As a Moroccan visitor, I feel a particular emotion when confronted with certain names and works, a moment when nostalgia merges with reality.
There, one encounters, in no particular order, the intellectual shadow of great figures such as Abbas Ibn Firnas, a pioneer of mechanical science and astronomy; Al-Idrissi, whose maps profoundly shaped knowledge of the world; and Ibn Battuta, the embodiment of learned travel across continents and cultures.
The museum also preserves instruments linked to the Muslim scientific tradition developed by scholars such as Al-Khwarizmi and Ibn al-Haytham, whose work on optics had a lasting influence on European science. Through these objects, Oxford quietly reminds us that the European Renaissance was also nourished by Arabic translations, Mediterranean exchanges, and knowledge from the Maghreb and Al-Andalus. The most intense intellectual exchanges occurred particularly during the 12th and 13th centuries, with the school of translators led by Gerard of Cremona, who promoted the translation of Arabic texts into Latin. Through this process, many medieval thinkers came to know Greek philosophers.
The spirit of Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd, and Al-Kindi mingles with that of Newton and so many others to whom humanity owes so much.
Seeing Moroccan objects preserved in one of the most prestigious universities in the world evokes a deep emotion. It is tangible proof that the contributions of Moroccan scholars fully belong to the universal heritage. These instruments are not mere museum pieces; they are silent witnesses to a time when Moroccan, Andalusian, and Muslim scholars observed the stars while medieval Europe was still passing through centuries of uncertainty. What a powerful feeling to see the name of Abdallah Ben Sassi engraved in Oxford, while in Safi, his hometown, the cemetery where he rested has been permanently erased, no trace remains of such a scholar in his own city.
Oxford thus offers a discreet yet profound lesson: great universities do not merely produce graduates. They create spaces where cultures meet, where scientific memories intersect, and where differences become intellectual wealth. In a world often tempted by identity-based withdrawal, this visible diversity in every street of Oxford appears as a civilizational strength.
Perhaps this is what strikes one most when walking through Oxford’s colleges: the harmonious coexistence of heritage and openness. The buildings seem unchanged for centuries, yet the faces constantly renew themselves. Each year, a new generation from around the world breathes life into these ancient places. It is precisely this circulation of ideas, languages, and cultures that allows universities like Oxford to remain centers of global excellence.
Leaving the courtyards of Oriel College, walking along High Street under an unusually bright English light (26°C today), or stepping out of the hushed rooms of the History of Science Museum, one understands that the greatness of a university does not lie solely in its academic prestige. It lies above all in its ability to welcome the world, to transmit knowledge without borders, and to foster dialogue between civilizations across generations.
But Oxford is also a fine model of shoes...
It is from this particular and inspiring atmosphere that I wish you Eid Mubarak.
