Al-Azhar Mosque

Why is Al-Azhar Mosque so important?

Al-Azhar is the most influential seat of Sunni Islamic scholarship in the world, and its mosque, founded in 970, is the oldest in the historic Fatimid city. The Fatimid general Jawhar al-Siqilli built it for Caliph al-Mu'izz when he founded the new royal city of al-Qahira, and teaching began within a few years; that is why Al-Azhar is often counted among the oldest universities still operating. The Fatimids were Shia, but after Salah al-Din ended their dynasty in 1171 Al-Azhar became, and remains, a Sunni institution.

Today Al-Azhar University has large modern campuses elsewhere in Cairo, but the mosque is still an active place of prayer and study, and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar is one of the leading religious voices in the Muslim world. For visitors, that means you are walking into a working mosque, not a museum. Our history of Islamic Cairo explains the Fatimid city it was built for.

What will you see inside?

A dazzling white marble courtyard ringed by Fatimid keel-arched arcades, a vast columned prayer hall and five minarets built by different rulers over 500 years. The building has been enlarged so often that walking through it is a lesson in Cairo's architecture.

• Bab al-Muzayinin (the Barbers' Gate): the usual visitors' entrance, named after the barbers who once shaved students' heads here. It was added in the 18th century by the emir Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda, the last great patron of the mosque.
• The two Mamluk madrasas: just inside the gate, the Taybarsiyya (1309) and the Aqbughawiyya (1340) flank the passage; both have fine domes and mihrabs and are often closed or used as library space.
• The courtyard (sahn): the oldest part of the visible fabric, with the decorated stucco of the Fatimid arcades above slender columns.
• The prayer hall: a forest of marble columns, many reused from older buildings, with Katkhuda's extension raised a few steps behind the original Fatimid hall.
• The minarets: look up for the minaret of Sultan Qaitbay (late 15th century) and the twin-headed minaret of Sultan al-Ghuri (early 16th century), one of the most distinctive shapes on the Cairo skyline.

What should you wear, and how should you behave?

Cover your shoulders and knees, women should cover their hair, and everyone takes off their shoes at the door. Loose trousers or a long skirt with a long-sleeved top works for women; men should avoid shorts. If you arrive underdressed, attendants at the visitors' gate have usually been able to lend a robe and headscarf, but bring your own scarf to be sure.

• Leave shoes with the attendant at the gate, or carry them in a bag, and tip the attendant a few pounds when you leave.
• Do not walk in front of people praying, and keep away from the qibla wall area when prayers are under way.
• Students and scholars sit in study circles in the courtyard and prayer hall; keep your voice low and do not photograph people without asking.
• Couples should avoid holding hands or other displays of affection inside.

Our guide to visiting mosques in Egypt covers etiquette across the country.

When is the best time to visit Al-Azhar?

Visit mid-morning or mid-afternoon on any day but Friday, avoiding the five daily prayers, which last about 15–30 minutes each. Prayer times move through the year with the sun, so check them on the day or let your guide plan around them. Friday midday prayer is the most crowded of the week, and visitors are not admitted around it.

During Ramadan, Al-Azhar is at its most atmospheric after sunset, when worshippers fill the courtyard for the long evening prayers, but sightseeing is restricted then; see our guide to travelling in Egypt during Ramadan. The marble courtyard gets very hot underfoot on a summer afternoon, another reason to come earlier in the day from May to September.

How do you get there, and what is nearby?

Take a taxi to Al-Azhar Street or Al-Hussein Square; it is 15–30 minutes from downtown Cairo, and the mosque faces the bazaar across the road. A pedestrian underpass links it with Al-Hussein Square and Khan el-Khalili, so the mosque fits naturally before an evening in the bazaar. The nearest metro station is Bab El Shaaria on Line 3, about 15 minutes' walk.

Within a short walk are the al-Ghuri complex, where the Tannoura show is staged, the southern end of Al-Muizz Street and the Fatimid gate of Bab Zuweila. Al-Azhar Park is about a kilometre east, uphill along Al-Azhar Street, for a sunset view back over the minarets.

Is it worth going with a guide?

Yes for a first visit; a guide explains the building's layers, handles shoes and dress, and keeps unofficial "helpers" away. Men loitering at the entrances sometimes offer unrequested tours of the mosque or rooftop and then demand money. Official mosque staff wear identification and may unlock a minaret or madrasa for a small tip, but agree on it first.

If you go alone, enter by the Barbers' Gate, take your time in the courtyard and prayer hall, and do not feel obliged to accept any tour offered at the door.