Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
maktab
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Related Questions
Read Next
Young men throw balloons and glitter from above the mosque at the celebration Eid Al-Fitr after prayers playing with balloons outside of Al-seddeeq mosque, Al-Mansourah, Egypt. 17 July 2015.
Eid al-Fitr
Candles Burning On Table In Church
What Is the Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World?
Prayer beads on Quran or Koran written in Arabic Islam's sacred and liturgical language. text, words, Ramadan
Celebrating Ramadan
Girl student writing in her notebook in classroom in school.
10 Common Questions Kids Have About School, Life, and Being a Student
Standardized test. Multiple choice exam sheet with pencil
Pro and Con: Standardized Tests
Discover
An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.
11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
Santa Claus flying in his sleigh, christmas, reindeer
Was Santa Claus a Real Person?
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?
A human Inuit skull in a stone chambered cairn in Ilulissat in Greenland. These ancient graves are pre christian and are at least 2000
14 Tough Questions Answered
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.
10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci
Diverse elementary school children wearing school uniforms running outside of school. Boys girls
Pro and Con: School Uniforms

maktab

Islam
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/topic/maktab
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: kuttāb
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
Also called:
Kuttāb
Related Topics:
school
See all related content

maktab, (Arabic: “school”), Muslim elementary school. Until the 20th century, boys were instructed in Qurʾān recitation, reading, writing, and grammar in maktabs, which were the only means of mass education. The teacher was not always highly qualified and had other religious duties, and the equipment of a maktab was often simple. During the 20th century, government-supported primary schools have tended to supplant the maktab in Muslim countries.