Back Al-Azhar-universiteit Afrikaans جامعة الأزهر Arabic جامعة الازهر ARZ Universidá d'al-Azhar AST Əl-Əzhər Universiteti Azerbaijani الازهر بیلیم‌یوردو AZB Әл-Әзһәр университеты Bashkir Універсітэт Аль-Азхар Byelorussian Ал-Азхар Bulgarian আল-আজহার বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় Bengali/Bangla

Al-Azhar University

For the historic mosque building, see Al-Azhar Mosque. For the university in Gaza, see Al-Azhar University – Gaza.
Al-Azhar University
جامعة الأزهر الشريف
Al-Azhar University logo
TypePublic
Establishedc. 970/972 – founded as institution for higher Islamic learning
1961 – gained university status
Religious affiliation
Sunni Islam
PresidentDr. Salama Dawood
Location
Cairo
,
Egypt

30°02′45″N 31°15′45″E / 30.04583°N 31.26250°E / 30.04583; 31.26250
CampusUrban
Websiteazhar.edu.eg
University rankings
Global – Overall
QS World[1]1201–1400 (2024)
THE World[2]801–1000 (2024)
USNWR Global[3]=739 (2023)

The Al-Azhar University (/ˈɑːzhɑːr/ AHZ-har; Egyptian Arabic: جامعة الأزهر (الشريف), IPA: [ˈɡæmʕet elˈʔɑzhɑɾ eʃʃæˈɾiːf], lit. 'University of (the honorable) Al-Azhar') is a public university in Cairo, Egypt. Associated with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Islamic Cairo, it is Egypt's oldest degree-granting university and is known as one of the most prestigious universities for Islamic learning.[4][5] In addition to higher education, Al-Azhar oversees a national network of schools with approximately two million students.[6] As of 1996, over 4,000 teaching institutes in Egypt were affiliated with the university.[7]

Founded in 970 or 972 by the Fatimid Caliphate as a centre of Islamic learning, its students studied the Qur'an and Islamic law, along with logic, grammar, rhetoric, and how to calculate the phases of the moon. Today it is the chief centre of Arabic literature and Islamic learning in the world.[8] In 1961 additional non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.[9]

Its library is considered second in importance in Egypt only to the Egyptian National Library and Archives.[10] In May 2005, Al-Azhar in partnership with a Dubai information technology enterprise, IT Education Project (ITEP) launched the H.H. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum project to preserve Al-Azhar scripts and publish them online (the "Al-Azhar Online Project") to eventually publish online access to the library's entire rare manuscripts collection, comprising about seven million pages of material.[11][12]

  1. ^ "QS World University Rankings: Al-Azhar University". Top Universities. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Al-Azhar University". Times Higher Education (THE). 28 September 2023. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  3. ^ U.S. News & World Report. "Al-Azhar University". Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  4. ^ Delman, Edward (February 26, 2015). "An Anti-ISIS Summit in Mecca A". The Atlantic.
  5. ^ Aishah Ahmad Sabki (2018). Pedagogy in Islamic Education: The Madrasah Context. Emerald Group Publishing. p. 16.
  6. ^ Brown, Nathan J. (September 2011). Post-Revolutionary al-Azhar (PDF). Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. p. 4. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  7. ^ Roy, Olivier (2004). Globalized Islam: The Search for a New Ummah. Columbia University Press. pp. 92–93. ISBN 978-0-231-13499-6. Retrieved 4 April 2015. In Egypt the number of teaching institutes dependent on Al-Azhar University increased from 1855 in 1986–7 to 4314 in 1995–6.
  8. ^ "Al-Azhar University". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2015-08-19.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Encyclopaedia of Islam: al-Azhar, modern period was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Egyptian National Library Publications. Egyptian National Library Press.
  11. ^ "AME Info, 26 September 2005". AME Info. Archived from the original on 19 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-21.
  12. ^ ITEP press release, 10 October 2006

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