An-Najah National University (Arabic: جامعة النجاح الوطنية) is a Palestinian non-governmental public university governed by a board of Trustees. It is located in Nablus, in the northern West Bank. The university has over 16,500 students and 300 professors in 19 faculties. It is the largest and most prestigious Palestinian university. An-Najah traces its roots to 1918, when it was founded as the An-Najah Nabulsi School. It became An-Najah College in 1941 and a two-years community college in 1963. It was upgraded to become An-Najah National University in 1977, starting with two colleges: the College of Arts and the College of Science. In 1988, during the First Intifada, the campus was declared a "closed military area" by Israel and did not reopen until 1991. During such time, the faculty of NNU stood to the challenge and continued in fulfilling the founders' vision in serving the Palstinian and Arab community by meeting with students at homes and local private places. It has grown rapidly in recent years with many former students becoming professors after completing their PhD’s. An-Najah's record of community work has been a major motive for building solidarity links with it.