Al-Azhar Mosque

Cairo, Egypt · A thousand years of knowledge and pulpits

The most famous Islamic university in the world, a beacon of religious knowledge and the Arabic language for more than a thousand years.

Did you know?

The commander Jawhar al-Siqilli built it after founding Cairo, and the first prayer was held in it in 361 AH / 972 CE.
It is one of the oldest educational institutions in the world still in operation.
Its architecture bears the marks of successive eras, Fatimid, Mamluk and Ottoman; among its most famous minarets is the double-headed minaret of Sultan al-Ghawri.

History and architecture

After the Fatimids founded the city of Cairo, Jawhar al-Siqilli ordered a great congregational mosque built at its heart: al-Azhar. It soon turned from a mosque into a school where circles of learning were held, and then into a university attracting students from the Maghreb to Asia. Under the Ayyubids and then the Mamluks it became a beacon of the religious and linguistic sciences, and schools, arcades and minarets bearing the names of sultans were added to it. Each group of students had a riwaq, or hall, named after their homeland, where they lived and studied. Through the centuries al-Azhar remained a voice of knowledge and moderation and a meeting place for students from every part of the Muslim world, as it is today. Teaching was free, funded by endowments, so a poor student found lodging, food and books and could devote himself to learning.

Founded: 359–361 AH / 970–972 CE

Religious significance

Allah says: “Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge by degrees” (Al-Mujadila 58:11).

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever follows a path in pursuit of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise” (Muslim).

For more than a thousand years al-Azhar has taught the Qur'an, hadith, fiqh and the Arabic language, and great scholars who shaped the Ummah graduated from it.

Visiting tips

Best time: Early in the morning or after the Asr prayer, when the marble courtyard is calm and bright.
Photography: From the middle of the courtyard to capture the many minarets together, especially the double-headed minaret of al-Ghawri.
Nearby: Al-Muizz Street, Al-Hussein Mosque, Khan el-Khalili, Bayt al-Suhaymi

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Al-Azhar Mosque?

Al-Azhar Mosque is in Cairo, Egypt.

When was Al-Azhar Mosque founded?

359–361 AH / 970–972 CE