Work / monument · institution

Al-Azhar

begun 970 · 10th century · Also known as al-Azhar mosque

Al-Azhar is a mosque in Cairo begun in 970 under the Fatimid Caliphate, soon after the founding of the city. It became a centre of Ismaili teaching and later, under Sunni rulers, one of the most important centres of Islamic learning in the world. It remains a major university and religious institution today.

Al-Azhar
Image: Wildoo78 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

Fatimid CaliphateSocioeconomy, Impact

Mentioned in 1 state history

Ottoman Egypt

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Al-Azhar. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/al-azhar
MLA
“Al-Azhar.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/al-azhar. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Al-Azhar.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/al-azhar.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Al-Azhar’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/al-azhar (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻