Al Azhar Mosque in Cairo - Egypt -جامع الازهر - القاهرة
Upon his arrival in Egypt, Jawhar bin Abdallah al-Siqilli, General of Sicilian origin who had conquered the country in 969, the fourth Fatimid Caliph Al-Muizz li-Din Allah, began construction of a new capital, al-Mansûriyyah, north of al-Fustat, the former flagship of the Abbasid Empire. When Al-Muizz went there to visit his new conquest, he decided that the capital would be called Al-Qahirah (that is to say "the victorious" current Cairo) rather Al-Mansûriyyah.
When Jawhar al-Siqilli laid the first stone of the new capital, he had planned to build a mosque where prayers would be celebrated under the reign of his master Al-Muizz. This mosque was originally called Jamaa Al-Qahirah (Cairo mosque). The original mosque consisted of a courtyard surrounded by three aisles. She had a single minaret and took up half the space it occupies today. She later was named "Al-Azhar" to pay tribute to Fatima Zahra, the daughter of Muhammad. It is located south of the Khan el Khalili in Islamic Cairo.
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