The Madrasat al-Alsun () was created by Muḥammad ÿAlë in 1835.
The school's administration in Egypt underwent a reorganization in 1836, and RifÃÂÿa RÃÂfiÿ aá¹Â-Ṭahá¹ÂÃÂwë was appointed head of the Madrasat al-Alsun in 1837.
At the Madrasat al-Alsun, the European system of education combined with the methods of the ÿulamÃÂþ.
In 1851, under ÿAbbÃÂs I, the school's activities were halted. The school resumed activities in 1863 under Ismaÿël, and aá¹Â-Ṭahá¹ÂÃÂwë was made its director.
Under aá¹Â-Ṭahá¹ÂÃÂwë, in both of his tenures, the school trained translators and translated European texts into Arabic. It was a pioneering institution in the ideology and methodology of taÿrëb, or Arabization. The selection of texts to be translatedâÂÂin fields such as geography, history, medicine, military sciences, and politicsâÂÂwas the responsibility of aá¹Â-Ṭahá¹ÂÃÂwë in the service of the State and the dynasty of Muḥammad ÿAlë.
In the process of translating these texts, the staff of the Madrasat al-Alsun established the principles of "rendering foreign languages into a clear, modern Arabic idiom" and conceived new Arabic vocabulary to suit novel technical terms and ideas. The Madrasat al-Alsun was, therefore, fundamental to the Arab nationalist movements of the later half of the 19th century as it made possible their use of the "continuing vitality and centrality of Arabic in their nationalist programs."