Nabihah Shami

A 19th century Lebanese educator who founded the first girls' school in Beirut and pioneered modern women's education in the Arab world

Nabihah Shami (1846-1905) was a visionary educator from Mount Lebanon who established the Madrasat al-Fatat (Girls' School) in Beirut in 1873, defying societal norms to provide girls with secular education including mathematics, science, and literature. As principal for over 30 years, she developed progressive teaching methods and recruited female teachers, creating a model for modern education systems. Her 1887 treatise On the Necessity of Educating Women argued that women's intellectual development was essential for national progress. Despite opposition from conservative religious leaders, she expanded her school system across Ottoman Syria. Her legacy is commemorated at the Nabihah Shami School and the Lebanese Heritage Foundation. Considered the 'Mother of Lebanese Education,' her work laid foundations for later feminist movements in the Arab world.