Al-Azhar University
Founded 970. One of the world's oldest degree-granting universities, seat of Sunni Islamic scholarship.
Overview
Founded by the Fatimid caliphate alongside its mosque in 970 CE, Al-Azhar taught jurisprudence, grammar, and astronomy centuries before Bologna. It became the authoritative seat of Sunni learning, and its sheikhs still shape Islamic law and its grand imam is a global voice. The university added modern faculties of medicine and engineering in 1961 under state reorganization. Millions of students worldwide follow its curriculum through affiliate schools. The Fatimid-era minarets anchor Islamic Cairo's heritage quarter. Admission draws students from Indonesia to Nigeria.
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