Al-Azhar Mosque In Cairo:
Just southwest of Midan al-Hussein is one of Cairo’s most venerable institutions. Al-Azhar was founded in AD 970 as the main mosque and center of learning for the city that had just been built by the new Fatimid rulers from North Africa. Though the Fatimids were swept from power some 200 years later, their mosque and university remained central to religious and political life in Egypt.
Today, the Sheikh of al-Azhar is the highest religious authority in the land and the university the most revered
center of learning in the Sunni Islamic world. Although now housed in several modern campuses around the country, including a separate faculty for women, the university continues to provide free education and board for Muslim students from all over the world. They come to study the Quran and Islamic law along with other traditional subjects such as grammar, logic, and rhetoric.
Since a reorganization of Al-Azhar in 1961, new faculties have been formed for the study of medicine, agriculture, engineering, and commerce.
Little remains of the original structure of the mosque, which now exhibits a mix of styles from different periods. The double-arched Gate of the Barbers, where students traditionally had their heads shaved, dates from the mid-18th century. Visitors now enter through this gate, which leads into an enclosure flanked by two madrassas (places of study). Both madrassas date to the early part of the 14th century; the one on the left is usually open and is worth visiting to see the beautifully ornate mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca).
In the center of the mosque is the main Sahn (courtyard), which dates as far back as Fatimid times. Although classes are no longer held here, small circles of students still come
to sit in the peace and shade of its arcades to memorize their Quranic texts, much as they have done for centuries.
Before entering the mosque, women must cover their heads; no admission will be granted to anyone with bare legs.
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