The Mosque of al-Azhar was built to be the congregational mosque of Fatimid Cairo, specifically designated for the Shi'a congregation — the movement aligned to the Fatimid state — avoiding a clash with those people in Egypt who were Sunni. Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi r. The first mosque to be built in Fatimid Cairo and the oldest religious university, it was designated initially to teach Shi'ite jurisprudence later Sunni. Salaries were paid by the Caliph to its 35 faqihs jurisconsults who resided in the vicinity of the mosque.
Throughout the ages students from Islamic countries circled around their instructors in the four Sunni schools around its open courtyard. Dating of the monument is based on evidence of a text inscribed within the drum of the dome to the right of the minbar and the mihrab , which includes the names of the builder and the supervisor of construction, as well as the date of the construction of the dome: Behrens-Abouseif, D.
Berchem, M. Cairo, Creswell, K. I, Oxford, Al-Jabarti, Abd al-Rahman, d. He is currently Head of the Statistics Department at the Information Centre of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and reporter of the committee set up to prepare for the celebrations of the centennial of the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo. As Expo Curator for the Discover Islamic Art project in Egypt he prepared the database information for the Egyptian monuments included in the project and participated in formulating the dynastic and cross-dynastic exhibitions.
He has participated in the first phase of the Islamic Art in the Mediterranean project as product manager and prepared the texts and photos for the catalogue Mamluk Art: the Splendour and Magic of the Sultans MWNF, During the Fatimid times , Al-Azhar was a minor university whose objective was to spread the Shiite teachings in Egypt.
Its position was thus important to the ruling Fatimid dynasty, but had little importance to the rest of the Muslim world who had its eyes focused on Baghdad as the centre of Islamic knowledge. For the majority of Muslims, Al-Azhar was not as famous as the schools of Baghdad.
In addition, the Fatimids were looked upon by the majority of Muslims as rulers belonging to a heretic sect. This view is obvious through the declaration made in Baghdad by many Muslim scholars denouncing the Fatimids. This stand regarding the Fatimids hampered Al-Azhar from taking a prominent position in the Islamic world during the time of the Fatimids.
It was considered just another school among the many schools in Egypt, Baghdad, Syria and Andalusia. Figure 2: View of the inner courtyard in Al-Azhar. During the reign of the Mamluk sultan Baybars and at the hands of prime minister Izz al-Din Aydmer, Al-Azhar witnessed a rebirth that elevated it to become the highest ranking institution of Islamic education. Aydmer lived in a palace neighboring Al-Azhar. He proposed to Baybars a plan to renew the mosque.
The sultan welcomed the idea and provided the funds necessary for refurbishing the mosque. Aydmer was aided by many Mamluk princes who offered their money for the mosque. Subsequently, Aydmer went further and proposed performing the main Friday prayer in Al-Azhar. After he had overcome the opposition to this step, he encouraged the scholars to use the mosque as their main educational institution.
The Islamic caliphate was looked upon as the symbol of Muslim unity in the Islamic world. After the defeat of the Mongols in Ayn Jalut, Sultan Baybars invited the Abbasid family, whose Caliphate which was destroyed earlier by the Mongols, to resume their office in Cairo. With this move, many of the Islamic scholars of the east migrated to Egypt and in some cases to Syria fleeing from the Mongol yoke.
This immigration of Islamic scholars to Egypt was paralleled by another influx, but from the west. Many Islamic emirates in Andalusia Spain were overrun by the Castillan armies between and and the famous Islamic schools in Qurtuba Cordoba , Ishbiliyya Seville and Balansiyya Valencia were destroyed.
Since the Mamluk sutlanate was the most powerful state in the Muslim world at the time, Egypt became the pole of attraction for western influx of scholars. Al-Azhar University is a natural expansion of the great mosque of Al-Azhar.
It is the most celebrated of all Islamic academic institutions and universities throughout the world. For over a thousand years, Al-Azhar has produced thousands of eminent scholars, distinguished educationalists, preserving Islamic heritage and strengthening Islamic identity.
During the Mamluk period, most of the prominent Muslim scholars of the time taught in Al-Azhar, or at least visited the institution for a brief period of time. The great care that was given to Al-Azhar by the Mamluk princes put the mosque in a position that was unequalled by any other Cairean mosque. At the same time, Al-Azhar had a curriculum of subjects that were regularly taught in it.
Opposition to the French in the late 18th century led to an uprising in centred on al-Azhar, and as a result it was bombarded by the French and temporarily closed. Jump to navigation. Although it served initially as a congregational mosque for Friday prayers, it soon developed into a seat of learning. During the Fatimid period, it developed into a center for higher learning and was richly endowed to support students, teachers, and one of the largest libraries of the time in the Muslim world.
The subjects traditionally associated with the Sunni madrasas of the time came to predominate, although Al-Azhar remained open to influences, including Sufism. Theology and law remained the main foci of study and research. Under French occupation, it became a seat of resistence and was bombarded by the French army.
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