Al-Azhar Mosque & University

Al-Azhar in Cairo, Egypt, is one of the oldest universities anywhere on Earth — over 1,050 years old! It started as a mosque and quickly became a place where students from every country came to study Qur'an, Arabic, science, medicine, and even astronomy.

The name 'Al-Azhar' means 'the shining one,' and that fits because Al-Azhar has been a shining light of learning for the whole Muslim world. Many famous scholars taught here and many more learned here as young students.

The mosque has five beautiful minarets, each from a different century. Walking around the courtyard, you can see how rulers across the years added new domes, gates, and stone carvings.

Today, thousands of students from over 100 countries study at Al-Azhar for free. Many of your favourite imams probably studied or visited here at some point!