Al-Azhar Mosque

Al-Azhar Mosque

mosque, educational institution

Year dem found am	971
Religion anaa worldview	Islam
Found by	Jawhar al-Siqilli
Country	Egypt
Edey de administrative territorial entity insyd	Cairo Governorate, Cairo
Coordinate location	30°2′45″N 31°15′46″E
Authority	Grand Imam of al-Azhar
Parent organization	Al Azhar Al Sharif
Award e receive	King Faisal International Prize in Service to Islam
Architectural style	Islamic architecture
Heritage designation	part of UNESCO World Heritage Site

Al-Azhar Mosque (Arabic: الجامع الأزهر, romanized: al-Jāmiʿ al-ʾAzhar, lit. 'The Resplendent Congregational Mosque', Egyptian Arabic: جامع الأزهر, romanized: Gāmiʿ el-ʾazhar), dem know am insyd Egypt simply as al-Azhar, be a mosque insyd Cairo, Egypt insyd de historic Islamic core of de city. Na dem commission am as de new capital of de Fatimid Caliphate insyd 970, na ebe de first mosque dem establish insyd a city wey eventually earn am de nickie "de City of a Thousand Minarets". Na dem usually think dem derive ein name from az-Zahrāʾ (lit. 'the shining one'), a title dem give to Fatimah, de daughter of Muhammad.

After ein dedication insyd 972, den plus de hiring by mosque authorities of 35 scholars insyd 989, de mosque slowly develop into wat ebe today.

De affiliated Al-Azhar University be de second oldest dem continuously run one insyd de world after Al-Qarawiyyin insyd Idrisid Fes. Na dem long regard am as de foremost institution insyd de Islamic world for de study of Sunni theology den sharia, anaa Islamic law. Insyd 1961, de university, na dem integrate am within de mosque as part of a mosque school since ein inception, na dem nationalize am den officially designate an independent university, Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, dey follow de Egyptian Revolution of 1952.

Over de course of ein over a millennium-long history, na dem alternately neglect de mosque den highly regard am. Secof na dem found am as a Shiite Ismaili institution, Saladin den de Sunni Ayyubid dynasty wey na he found shun al-Azhar, wey he remove ein status as a congregational mosque den deny stipends to students den teachers for ein school. Na dem reverse dese moves under fe Mamluk Sultanate, under whose rule chaw expansions dem renovations take place. Na later rulers of Egypt show differing degrees of deference to de mosque wey dem provide widely varying levels of financial assistance, both to de school den to de upkeep of de mosque. Today, al-Azhar remain a deeply influential institution insyd Egyptian society wey ebe highly revered insyd de Sunni Muslim world den a symbol of Islamic Egypt.

Name

Na de city of Cairo be established by de Fatimid general Jawhar al-Siqilli, on behalf of de Fatimid caliph al-Mu'izz, wey dey follow de Fatimid conquest of Egypt insyd 969. Na dem originally name am al-Manṣūriyya (المنصورية) after de prior seat of de Fatimid caliphate, al-Mansuriyya insyd modern Tunisia. De mosque, dem first use insyd 972, fi be initially named Jāmiʿ al-Manṣūriyya (جامع المنصورية, "de mosque of Mansuriyya"), as na ebe common practice for de time. Na ebe al-Mu'izz wey rename de city al-Qāhira (القاهرة, "de Victorious"). Na de name of de mosque thus cam turn Jāmiʿ al-Qāhira (جامع القاهرة, "de mosque of Cairo"), dem first transcribe am insyd Arabic sources.

History

De courtyard of de mosque, dey date to de Fatimid period. Above, de minarets date from de Mamluk period. From left to right: de double-finial minaret of Qansuh al-Ghuri, de minaret of Qaytbay, den de minaret of Aqbugha (behind de dome).

Fatimid Caliphate

De dome above de entrance to de prayer hall, dem craft around 1138 under al-Hafiz

After de conquest of Egypt, na Jawhar al-Siqilli oversee de construction of de royal enclosure for de caliph ein court den de Fatimid army, wey he make dem build al-Azhar as a base make dem spread Isma'ili Shi'a Islam. Dey locate near de densely populated Sunni city of Fustat, Cairo cam turn de center of de Isma'ili sect of Shi'a Islam, den seat of de Fatimid empire.

Jawhar order de construction of a congregational mosque for de new city wey work commence for April 4, 970. Na dem plete de mosque insyd 972 wey dem hold de first Friday prayers der for June 22, 972 during Ramadan.

Yaqub ibn Killis, a polymath, jurist den de first official vizier of de Fatimids, make al-Azhar a key center for instruction insyd Islamic law insyd 988. De year wey dey follow, na dem hire 45 scholars make dem give lessons, wey lay de foundation for wat go cam turn de leading university insyd de Muslim world.

Architecture

Foundation den structural evolution under Fatimids

Hypostyle prayer hall plus columns dem use from various periods for Egyptian history insyd

Na de original structure of de mosque be 280 feet (85 m) for length insyd den 227 feet (69 m) wide, wey na dem make am of three arcades wey situate around a courtyard. Na to de southeast of de courtyard be de original prayer hall, dem build as a hypostyle hall, five aisles deep, though plus ein qibla wall slightly off de correct angle. De marble columns dey support de four arcades wey make up de prayer hall na dem reuse from sites extant at different times insyd Egyptian history, from Pharaonic times thru Roman rule to Coptic dominance. Na de different heights of de columns dem make level by dem dey use bases of varying thickness. De stucco exterior dey show influences from Abbasid, Coptic den Byzantine architecture.