Page 301 - Neglected Arabia Vol 1 (2)

A SEiiLECTliD ARABIA
Among the causes which explain the permanence and eminence oi
this ancient school of learning are its central location, ii> nearness tu
Mecca for those who go on pilgrimages, the purely Arab character of
Egyptian civilization, and last but not least, the ancient intellectual tradi­
tions of the Nile valley, which lingered from the period of the Greek
and Roman civilization.
Tlu* imi,M|tie has often been used since the middle ages a-, an asylum
for refugees, renegades, etc. In the history of the institution, there ii
frequent mention of robberies, brawls, immoralities, especially during
the nights of the great festivals.
For many centuries the students, even as at the present day, lived
partly in and partly outside the institution. At the present time there
are 38 Riwaks or loyyius, where the various groups, according to their

INTERIOR OK JAM 1AU l.AZIIAK, MOHAMMEDAN UNIVERSITY. CAIRO

countries, segregate. Among them we may mention those who con*
from Upper Egypt, West Arabia, the Sudan, Syria, Java, Afghanistan,
North West Africa, Turkey, Yemen, Baghdad, Nubia, India, Chin*.
I have spoken with men from Shanghai and from Yunnan.
Our illustration shows one corner of the great central area, whici
often contains as many as three or four thousand students.
One of the most interesting courts is that of the blind, which «
present has over 200 students.
The Pan-Islamic importance of the Azhar is evident from thk l* *
of countries, and from the fact that students come annually from Centra
Africa, Russia, Singapore and China. Political events, it is true, C4U*'
a great variation in the statistics of attendance. At one time Al-Aihu *
had a far larger number of students than it has today. No aecur** *
records seem to be kept, and official statistics are not always avaiUl* j

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