Information
Landmark: Al-Azhar MosqueCity: Cairo
Country: Egypt
Continent: Africa
Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo, Egypt, Africa
Overview
In the heart of Cairo, Al-Azhar Mosque stands as one of the city’s most important Islamic landmarks, its white minarets rising above the bustle of the streets.It’s both a sacred place of worship and one of the world’s oldest universities, where the scent of old books lingers in its halls and Islamic scholarship has thrived for centuries.Founded in the 10th century, it still stands as a vivid emblem of Egypt’s deep roots in faith and learning, its stone walls warm under the afternoon sun.The Fatimid Caliph Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah built Al-Azhar Mosque in 970 AD, just after his dynasty seized Egypt, when the air still carried the dust of the conquest.The mosque was first built to serve as the heart of Shi’a Islam under Fatimid rule, its courtyard once echoing with Shi’a prayers, but after the Fatimids fell, it shifted into a hub for Sunni worship.In 988 AD, Al-Azhar was established as a university, joining the ranks of the world’s oldest centers of learning, alongside Morocco’s Al-Qarawiyyin, where scholars once studied by the glow of oil lamps.Over the centuries, Al-Azhar Mosque has been renovated and expanded many times, leaving it with a rich mix of Islamic architectural styles, from delicate carved arches to towering minarets.One.The mosque opens onto a wide, sunlit courtyard, its edges lined with arcades resting on smooth marble columns dating back to the Fatimid era.Sunlight glances off the white marble floor, filling the room with a warm, quiet glow.Number two.Al-Azhar boasts five minarets, each telling its own story in stone, from the slender curves of the Fatimid era to the bold lines of Mamluk and the ornate flourishes of Ottoman design.The best known is the Al-Ghouri Minaret, a slender tower raised in the 16th century by Sultan Al-Ghouri.Three.The prayer hall stretches wide, its wooden ceiling carved with delicate swirls you could trace with a fingertip, and every wall gleams with intricate geometric patterns.The mihrab, a graceful prayer niche, showcases Islamic decorative art with smooth marble inlays and flowing lines of calligraphy.Number four.Inside the Al-Azhar Mosque, the library holds one of Islam’s greatest treasures-thousands of manuscripts on law, theology, and Arabic literature, some with ink that’s faded to a soft brown over centuries.Founded alongside the mosque in 988 AD, Al-Azhar University stands as one of the world’s foremost centers for Islamic studies, where the scent of old parchment still lingers in its halls.For more than a thousand years, it’s shaped Islamic scholarship, guided the writing of law, and deepened theology-its influence as steady as ink drying on parchment.Today, it offers both religious and modern studies, with faculties in medicine, engineering, and the social sciences-even a lab where the scent of antiseptic hangs in the air.Al-Azhar Mosque stands as the spiritual heart of Sunni Islam, its white minarets rising above Cairo’s bustle, and it guides millions as a leading religious authority.The Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee hands down religious rulings that ripple across the globe, shaping how millions of Muslims live and pray.The mosque has long welcomed interfaith conversations and hosted voices from across the world in the Islamic community, sometimes over tea that smells faintly of cardamom.You’re welcome to visit Al-Azhar Mosque, but be sure to dress modestly-cover your shoulders and knees before stepping inside.Visit when prayers aren’t underway, so you can take your time admiring the intricate arches and sunlit stonework.The mosque stands in the heart of Islamic Cairo, just a short walk from the bustling Khan El Khalili Bazaar and the grand Sultan Hassan Mosque.Al-Azhar Mosque still stands as a vibrant symbol of Egypt’s Islamic heritage, where worshippers gather under its cool stone arches and scholars shape ideas that ripple across the Muslim world.
