AZHAR UNIVERSITY, AL-

chief centre of Islamic and Arabic learning in the world, centred on the mosque of that name in the medieval quarter of Cairo, Egypt. It was founded by the Fatimids in AD 970 and was formally organized by 988. The basic program of studies was, and still is, Islamic law, theology, and the Arabic language. Late in the European Middle Ages philosophy and medicine were added to the curriculum, but, because original and independent thinking was suspect in the orthodox scholarly circles of al-Azhar, these subjects were soon eliminated. Only in the 19th century, through the efforts of the great educational reformer Jamal ad-Din al-Afghani, was philosophy reinstated. Twentieth-century efforts at modernization have resulted in the addition of social sciences at its new supplementary campus at Nasr City. There are 11 main institutes affiliated with al-Azhar, attracting students from as far as China, Indonesia, Morocco, and Somalia. Women have been admitted since 1962.