Aug 24, 2008
Al-Azhar
Al-Azhar is the oldest still-functioning university in the world. It was built in 971 A.D. and has existed in one form or another for the last thousand years. On Saturday my dad and I visited its mosque.
My dad waited for me in the courtyard while I went into the women's area. The invited him in with me but he declined, which I thought was cool. When I came back outside a few guys had gathered around him and were reciting the Qur'an. Not to him, exactly, but within earshot (see above), which I thought was interesting because it's an older style of instruction and I'm glad he got to see that. I don't know how the university operates now, but historically Islamic universities didn't have "classes" in the sense that we think of them now. Back then the senior clerics would lean against the walls in the courtyard and give lectures, while the younger students milled about and listened to the ones they chose to hear. They progressed individually, on no fixed timetable, by proving their mastery of the religion to senior sheikhs. (Kind of like unschooling.)
Inside the women's area a few women were praying, and several more were sleeping. I've always liked that about mosques, that sleeping is allowed and common. You have to feel either very safe or very desperate to sleep in public. Mosques accommodate both.
This is the main prayer hall. We got there just in time to watch midday prayer (no pictures of that, though).
Part of the original madrassa:
A cat naps next to freshly baked bread off to the side of the madrassa:
The outer courtyard:
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