The Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo is a must-visit site.
Islamic studies are taught in Cairo’s Al Azhar Mosque, widely regarded as the world’s oldest university.
The biggest collection of Islamic art in the world may be seen here.
There are often Muslim students from various countries reading as they make their way inside the mosque to pray.
Location:
It is situated in the Khan Khalili region, near the Bazaar’s underpass, about 30 minutes from downtown Cairo.
Many of Cairo’s oldest mosques may be found here, dating from a variety of periods and architectural styles.
History:
It was founded in 970 and Al-Azhar University claims to be the world’s oldest university. The Al-Azhar Mosque, whose name may be translated as ‘The Radiant,’ ‘Blooming,’ or ‘Resplendent’
In Egypt, the mosque has always had a role in politics since it is the greatest religious authority for Muslims in Egypt.
The Shi’ite stronghold was turned into a bastion of Sunni conservatism during Salah al-rule, Din’s but Napoleon’s armies desecrated it to demonstrate their power.
As a nationalist stronghold since the eighteenth century, Al-Azhar was the setting for Nasser’s bold address during Egypt’s 1956 invasion.
The mosque is a jumble of eras and styles that somehow manages to be both beautiful and disorienting at the same time.
Students used to have their hair cut at the Barber’s Gate, which was erected in the 14th century and is surrounded by three minarets, as they entered the huge Sahn (courtyard).
Although the rosettes and keel-arched panels on the sahn façade date from the Fatimid period, the rites (residential quarters) of the madrassa are from the Mamluk period and are screened by latticework.
While these structures (which are seldom exposed to the public at the time of this writing, but it’s worth asking if you may go up) look to have been built decades or centuries ago, the skyline is studded with hundreds of minarets, and the views from the top are stunning.
