Which Cairo mosque was founded in 970 as part of the Fatimid capital al-Qāhirah?

Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo was founded in 970 as part of the Fatimid capital al-Qāhirah.

The Fatimid general Jawhar al-Siqilli founded Cairo in 969, and construction of Al-Azhar Mosque began soon afterward. The mosque opened for prayer in 972. Its name is commonly connected with Fatimah al-Zahra, the daughter of Muhammad and an important figure in Shi'a Islam.

Al-Azhar later became closely associated with Sunni Islamic learning after the Fatimid period. Al-Azhar University developed around the mosque and is one of the most influential institutions of Islamic scholarship in the world.

The present complex contains architectural layers from many centuries, including additions by Fatimid, Mamluk, and Ottoman rulers. It is therefore not a single untouched tenth-century building. Visitors sometimes assume the mosque and university were founded at exactly the same time, but the educational institution evolved gradually around the historic mosque.