Al-Azhar University

Al-Azhar University is a major public institution located in Cairo, Egypt.

It is the oldest degree-granting university in Egypt. Today, it serves as a global center for Arabic literature and Islamic learning. Beyond its university campus, Al-Azhar manages a massive national network of schools. This network includes over 4,000 teaching institutes across Egypt. It serves approximately two million students in total. The university is highly prestigious and holds deep religious and academic significance.

The institution began as a mosque before evolving into a madrasa. A madrasa is an Islamic school of higher learning. In the early years, students focused on specific subjects. They studied the Qur'an and Islamic law, which is also called jurisprudence. They also learned logic, grammar, and rhetoric. Some students even studied astronomy to calculate the phases of the moon. Over time, the curriculum expanded to include many more subjects. In 1961, the university added secular faculties. These include science, medicine, engineering, pharmacy, agriculture, economics, and business.

The history of Al-Azhar is tied to several powerful dynasties. It was founded by the Fatimid Caliphate around 970 or 972 CE. The Fatimid commander Jawhar al-Siqilli began the construction of the mosque. The institution was named in honor of Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad. The Fatimids were an Ismaili Shi'a dynasty. Later, in the 12th century, the Ayyubid leader Saladin took control. He converted Al-Azhar into a Shafi'ite Sunni center of learning. This period saw significant changes in the school's religious identity.

During the transition under Saladin, much of the previous era's library was lost. Sources state that books from the palace were sold or destroyed. Some were burned, while others were thrown into the Nile River. Some accounts suggest a massive pile of books was covered in sand. The number of books lost varies from 120,000 to as many as 2,000,000. Despite this loss, Saladin introduced the college system to Egypt. This system was adopted at Al-Azhar. It created separate institutions within the mosque compound. These included specific classrooms, libraries, and dormitories.

The Mamluk period brought even more prestige to the university. The Mamluks provided endowments to the institution. They also established salaries for instructors and stipends for students. A new college was built outside the mosque in 1340. In the late 1400s, the buildings were renovated with new dormitories. During this era, Al-Azhar attracted many famous scholars. The historian Ibn Khaldun taught there starting in 1383. Because printed texts were rare, much learning relied on memorization. Students would memorize the lectures and notes of their teachers.

During the Ottoman period, Al-Azhar became the leading Sunni institution in the world. A new official role was created called the Shaykh Al-Azhar. This office was given to the leading scholar of the institution. Students were organized into groups called riwaqs. These were fraternities based on nationality or specific branches of Islamic law. Each riwaq was supervised by a professor. The average length of study was about six years. Students had to demonstrate sufficient training to earn an ijazah. An ijazah is a certificate that allows a student to become a professor.

Al-Azhar holds a massive collection of rare manuscripts. Its library is the second most important in Egypt. The collection includes about seven million pages of material. In 2005, the university began the Al-Azhar Online Project. They partnered with an IT company called ITEP. This project aims to preserve scripts and publish them online. This allows people everywhere to access these historical documents. The university also maintains a strong connection to Sufism. Many professors and students belong to Sufi orders. This tradition continues through current leaders like the Shaykh al-Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb.