Al Azhar University

Al-Azhar University was established in Cairo, Egypt, and is one among the oldest and most famous Islamic higher educational institutions in the world.

Aimed to be a centre of Islamic learning and scholarship, it is famed for its foundations laid in 970 CE for the Islamic cause. Emerging from a madrasa, it has grown into a full-fledged university caring for undergraduate, graduatestud ies, and postgraduate programs in Islamic studies, Arabic language and literature, Sharia law, medicine, engineering, humanities and social sciences. Its stature lies in its uncompromised bent towards favored orthodox-Islamic teachings, and from all times it has influenced the very thinking of the Islamic approach to theology and to jurisprudence. There are a number of faculties, institutes, libraries, and research centres at the main campus in Cairo where students and scholars from around the world are attracted. Besides its academies, Al-Azhar University is a leading authority in Islamic jurisprudence and religious affairs. Within the Muslim world, the Grand Imam is in a position to exert a certain influence and to provide guidance in many religious and social issues. In other words, Al-Azhar University is a representative of Islamic education, intellectual inquiry, and cultural heritage; it remains a living tradition, promoting within the community of Muslims a thousand years of scholarship, tolerance, and understanding.

Al Azhar University is ranked as the #7 top university in Egypt during 2025.