Since its creation El-Azhar has played a political and educational role in the
life of Egyptian society and, therefore, in the Islamic world. In the entire history of
Islam, no mosque can compete with it. El Azhar was designed by the Fatimids. It
was the first university in the History of Islam, but it became also and the bastion of
the Isma'ilite Shi'ite doctrine. During the Ayyoubid era, El-Azhar plunged into
neglect and oblivion for a century. At the time of Mamloukids, El-Azhar lived its
golden age. New buildings were constructed, including galleries, to house hundreds
of Egyptian and foreign students, some of them where Moroccans. During the
Ottoman era, its political role increased while its educational function declined.
The gallery of Moroccans has always been among the largest and richest in
El Azhar; Moroccan sultans as well as many Moroccan trading families living in
Egypt continuously watched over this gallery while spending on its residents.
This construction played major roles in Morocco-Egypt relations, on a sociocultural
and political scale, especially during the Napoleonic expedition to Egypt in
1798. The various sources having reported on this campaign agree to highlight
before the role of the Azharid Moroccans in jihad and the resistance in different
regions of Egypt. This reality was noted by Napoleon. He had become aware of the
danger of the Moroccan presence in Cairo and its impact on his projects. So he
ordered his forces to expel the Moroccans, but most of them rejected this order,
because they were aware that Cairo was their second homeland.