Al-Azhar Mosque
Step into one of the world's great centres of Islamic scholarship, where more than a thousand years of Fatimid, Mamluk and later architecture surround a luminous marble courtyard still used for worship, teaching and religious study today.
Historical Overview
Al-Azhar began as the principal congregational mosque of the newly founded Fatimid city of Cairo. After the Fatimid period, its role changed substantially: Friday prayer was suspended for a period under Salah al-Din, then restored in the Mamluk era, when Al-Azhar developed into a major centre of Sunni scholarship. Over successive centuries rulers, scholars and patrons expanded the complex, adding madrasas, riwaqs and architectural elements from different periods.
Why Visit?
Al-Azhar is not simply an archaeological monument. It remains an active mosque, an active teaching institution, one of Cairo's most important religious landmarks, and a physical record of more than a millennium of Islamic architecture.
What to See
- Main marble courtyard
- Historic prayer halls
- Fatimid architectural core
- Mamluk madrasas
- Multiple historic minarets
- Riwaqs
- Historic entrances and carved stonework
Getting There
Destination
الجامع الأزهر
من فضلك وديني الجامع الأزهر
Media Gallery
The main marble courtyard of Al-Azhar Mosque