Al-Azhar Mosque

You have reached the great intellectual beacon of Sunni Islam. Work on al-Azhar began on 4 April 970, a year after the city was founded, and the first Friday prayer was held in June 972. Its name, ‘the Resplendent’, is often linked to Fatima al-Zahra, the Prophet's daughter, although no early source confirms it.

1A thousand years of classes

Islamic law has been taught here since 988, and al-Azhar became one of the oldest centres of learning in the world still in operation. Paradoxically, it was founded by the Fatimids, who were Shia; when Saladin ended their dynasty in 1171, the mosque lost its standing and did not recover the Friday prayer until 1266, under Sultan Baybars. Since then it has been a Sunni reference point.

2Against Napoleon

On 21 October 1798, the scholars and students of al-Azhar led a revolt against the French occupation. Napoleon had the district bombarded from the Citadel, and his cavalry rode into the mosque. In 1800 a Syrian student who lodged here, Sulayman al-Halabi, assassinated General Kléber.

Every sultan wanted to leave his signature: the minaret of Qaytbay dates from the late 15th century, and the double-topped one was added by al-Ghuri in the early 16th.

The main entrance, the Barbers' Gate, was built in the 18th century by the emir Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda. It is said that students had their heads shaved there.

3What to look for

• The double-topped minaret of al-Ghuri.
• The Barbers' Gate, with its two arches.
• The domes and crenellations along the skyline of the facade.