The concept of founding a technical school in Palestine originated at the beginning of the century, and in 1912, the first ground was broken to build such a school in Haifa. World War I delayed the task, and the first class was not inaugurated until 1924. The Technion grew slowly, with a student population of 600 in 1948. After independence, it became clear that Israel would need a modern engineering school. The government donated the land on Mt. Carmel, and the overseas Friends of the Technion were able to raise the money needed to build a new campus, as well as fully equipped labs, thus giving Israel an engineering school unrivaled in the Middle East.