Besides the writing of pedagogical works and the printing of Arabic classics and original works, Arab thinkers believed that the establishment of a strong cultural infrastructure was necessary to introduce, promote and facilitate the learning of imported modern Western and native revived knowledge at all levels of society. Building on the previous section on education, this chapter describes a rapidly expanding cultural infrastructure of schools, presses, periodicals and societies that emerged in the later part of the nineteenth century with a particular focus on Lebanon. The chapter also highlights the role of nahḍah intellectuals and humanists who supplied this infrastructure through a life-time of teaching and scholarly activities, while drawing attention to the role of the Christian missionaries who made important contributions to its development in the last quarter of the nineteenth century.

Transforming the Educational Landscape in Beirut

Before the nineteenth century, the main mediums of education in the Arab world were the traditional religious schools: the kuttābs and madrasas for Muslims and the dayrs (church schools) for Christians. The children of affluent families were given private tutoring, while knowledge of secular subjects such as medicine, accounting and pharmacy was acquired by serving apprenticeships outside the educational system. In the nineteenth century the educational landscape began to transform with the dramatic expansion of schools, the modernisation of curricula and a substantial growth in the number of pupils.