---
node: spot_cairo_al_azhar_mosque
type: spot
slug: al_azhar_mosque
destination: dest_cairo
title: "Al-Azhar Mosque"
lead: "Al-Azhar was founded in 970, the first mosque of the new Fatimid capital, and its teaching circles grew into the oldest continuously operating university in the world. It remains the leading institution of Sunni learning."
published: 2026-08-12
updated: 2026-08-12
image_file: spot_cairo_al_azhar_mosque.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Courtyard_of_Al-Azhar_Mosque,_Cairo,_Egypt.jpg"
image_author: "Vyacheslav Argenberg"
image_license: "CC BY 4.0"
---

## Overview

The Fatimids built it as a Shia foundation; Saladin turned it Sunni in 1171, and every dynasty since has added a minaret, a gate or a madrasa, so the courtyard reads as eight centuries of building in one view. Teaching still happens here, and students sit against the columns of the prayer hall in the afternoons. Non-Muslim visitors are welcome outside prayer times.

## Highlights

The white marble courtyard with its three minarets is the set piece, best in the low light of late afternoon. Dress modestly, remove shoes at the entrance, and expect to be lent a robe if needed. The mosque sits directly opposite Khan el-Khalili, so the two go together.