The idea of establishing Al-Manar University of Tripoli (MUT) dates to 1958, when the late Prime Minister Mr. Rashid Karami, together with educator Mr. Muhieddine Makkouk and a select group of leading citizens of Tripoli, decided to launch a project to meet the educational concerns of North Lebanon. In 1966, they formally established “Al-Manar Society”, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing quality education to students of North Lebanon and other regions of the Arab World.

During the years that followed, the Society focused tremendous effort on acquiring land suitable for the establishment of a world class university campus. Through a combination of purchase and grant, the Society was successful in securing 255,000 m2 of detached plots of land at a location known as “Baal Al-Ghandour”. Continued perseverance by H.E. Omar Karami, aided by a special governmental Decree, the scattered areas of land was redistributed to form one uniform plot of land designated for the university campus. Today, the overall area dedicated to the construction of the MUT campus and its ancillaries stands at 150,561 m2.

After the assassination of H.E. Mr. Rashid Karami, Prime Minister Omar Karami assumed the Chairmanship of “Al-Manar Society”, and formed the first University Board of Trustees in 1990. The Board was chaired by H.E. Omar Karami and 18 other prominent members of society from Lebanon and the Arab World, each offering a unique combination of skills and financial support. In addition, the Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahian Charitable & Humanitarian Foundation donated funds for the construction of MUT’s Central Library; Mr. Abdel Majid Shoman donated funds for the construction of MUT’s Abd el Hamid Shoman Arts & Sciences Building; and H.E. Mr. Moustafa Durneika donated funds for the construction of MUT’s Administration Building, all of which currently stand as a shimmering attestation to the University’s bright future as a beacon of knowledge for generations to follow.