Al-Azhar Mosque description and photos - Egypt: Cairo (Topic)

Al-Azhar Mosque description and photos - Egypt: Cairo. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Al-Azhar Mosque.

Photo and description

The Al-Azhar Mosque is known as the famous religious university of Cairo, where everyone is engaged in the study of the Koran, Arabic language and literature, various religious disciplines. The mosque was erected by the famous military leader Dzhokhar in 969-972 simultaneously with the construction of the city itself and was the main mosque of the state. For centuries, the mosque has been a haven for locals and refugees during times of war and persecution. The mosque became an educational institution in 988. With money from income from waqfs, the mosque was repeatedly rebuilt, restored and completed with additional classrooms in order to expand the premises.

Since the middle of the twentieth century, the mosque has become the largest and most prestigious Islamic university. There are about 50 faculties and Muslims from all over the world study here. At the moment, the university is equipped with a library with sixty thousand books and fifteen thousand manuscripts.

Al-Azhar is an excellent example of architecture. The entrance to the mosque is a trefoil arch. The inner halls are decorated with an abundance of relief forms, numerous arches, various graphic and floral ornaments and patterns on the walls and columns. The mosque is surrounded by an arcade and has an underground passage to the Al-Hussein Mosque. The city market and the oldest coffee house in Cairo are located nearby.

During its existence, the mosque has significantly changed its appearance, but the ancient foundation has remained intact. This is an inner courtyard, which is framed around the perimeter by an arcade, and a huge hall for ceremonial receptions, unique in that it has 380 columns. These buildings look the same today as they did in 973. It should be noted that the main buildings of the mosque are made of bricks covered with plaster. But the buildings, already completed later, are made of stone.

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Topic: Al-Azhar Mosque description and photos - Egypt: Cairo.