Excerpt: Al-Azhar mosque is one of Egypt’s Islamic monuments built during the reign of the Fatimid Imam-Caliph Al-Muizz Li Din Allah in 972, shortly after the establishment of Cairo as Egypt’s new capital.
It was named after the name of Prophet Mohamed’s daughter Fatma el Zahraa. It is the first Fatimid monument built in Egypt and it was a meeting place for Shiite students. Throughout the history it became the focal point of the famous university.
The architectural style of the mosque shows the influence of all arts that have passed through Egypt. It was renovated and expanded several times during the Fatimid era but during the Ayyubid era the mosque was completely neglected because it represented Shiites, while the Ayyubid was Sunni. But during the Mamluk period, especially during the reign of Sultan Babirs, Al-Azhar mosque regained its luster after a great restoration project.
Ismailimail 