abstract:Maktab or Maktabkhaneh () (other transliterations include makteb, mekteb, mektep, meqteb, maqtab), also called Al Kottab ( ) (Arabic: “school”), is an Arabic word meaning elementary schools. Though it was primarily used for teaching children in reading, writing, grammar and Islamic subjects (such as Qur'an recitations), other practical and theoretical subjects were also often taught.