The Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College was founded by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in 1875, initially as a primary school, with the intention of turning it into a college-level institution.
In 1877, the school was raised to college level.
Lord Lytton, the Viceroy of India at the time, laid the foundation stone of the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College (MAO College) on January 8, 1878. The college was later upgraded to Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in 1920.
