Gallery
Description
Property Name: Al-Azhar Mosque
Inventory No: 20-2-4
Date of infill of the inventory form: 2007-12-05
Country (State party): Egypt
Province: Cairo
Town:
Geographic coordinates: 30° 2′ 44.74″ N
31° 15′ 45.73″ E
Historic Period: Fatimid
Year of Construction: 970-972
Style:
Original Use: Mosque
Current Use: Mosque
Architect: Unknown
Significance
After al-Qahira was founded in 969, this great Friday mosque was erected by the Fatimids. The Fatimid Caliph ordered his army leader Gawhar al-Sekelli to erect al-Azhar (the Splendid) Mosque. The mosque became the center for theological studies in 989. Starting from the 13th century, the fame of the mosque began to spread throughout the Islamic world. Due to this, the mosque was constantly enlarged during different eras.
Selection Criteria
ii. to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design
v. to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change
vi. to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance
State of Preservation
A restoration work was conducted between 1982-1983 by the Administration of Fine Retoration of the Islamic Antiquities Sector. During this restoration, al-Azhar façade was restored; Bab al-Mozayeen was restored and its restitution was carried out according to its original colors; the stucco decorations and the crenellations looking towards the courtyard was restored; wooden mihrab of al-Zaher Bibars was consolidated. Also, the façade of al-Taibarsia madrasa and al-Akbaghawiya madrasa, the gate of Sultan Qaitbay, and the wooden pulpit of Abdul Rahman Katkhuda was restored. The marble slabs of Abdul Rahman Katkhuda mihrab was restored and some were replaced with new ones.
The last restoration work was carried out in 2018, All the steps were carried out under the full supervision of the Ministry of Antiquities to document the restoration phases inside the mosque.
References
Ahmad, Mahmud. Concise Guide to the Principal Arabic Monuments in Cairo, Government Press, Bulak, 1939.
Al Azhar Mosque, Egyptian Antiquities Organisation, Cairo.
Michell, George. Architecture of the Islamic World: Its History and Social Meaning. Thames and Hudson, London, 1978.
Parker, Richard; Robin Sabin. A Practical Guide to Islamic Monuments in Cairo, American University in Cairo Press, Cairo, 1974.
Stierlin, Henri. Islam: Early Architecture From Baghdad to Cordoba, Volume I, Taschen, Köln, 1996.