“Al-Azhar Park” is classified as one of the 60 best public spaces in the world, and it is one of the most important and beautiful Egyptian parks, and has an architectural design inspired by historical Islamic gardens. Engineer Adel Al-Akhras, Deputy Director of the Agriculture Department at Al-Azhar Park, tells “Azawaq”: “The park is indeed… A first-class tourist destination for those looking for beauty, comfort and tranquility. He describes it by saying: “It is a paradise in the heart of the capital, Cairo.”
Al-Akhras says that there are many reasons to visit Al-Azhar Park, including these reasons:
1- Al-Azhar Park is not just a public park like the rest of the parks, but it is distinguished by the great historical monuments it contains, the most important of which is the Ayyubid Wall (the Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi Wall that surrounds Old Cairo) with its well-known gates.
Ayman Parwaiz revives Egyptian heritage with stained glass (azwaaq.com)
2- It is also distinguished by its distinguished location in the middle of an international archaeological and tourist area, which is the Al-Hussein area, Khan Al-Khalili, Al-Mu’izz Lidin Allah Al-Fatimi Street, the Al-Azhar Al-Sharif Mosque, the Al-Azhar sheikhdom, the Egyptian Fatwa House, the Citadel of Saladin Al-Ayyubi, and the Al-Darb Al-Ahmar area, with the great monuments and monuments this area contains and ancient ancient mosques. Such as the Al-Hussein and Sultan Hassan Mosque, the Umm Al-Sultan Shaaban Mosque from the fourteenth century, the Khair Bey Complex from the thirteenth century, and the Fatima Al-Nabawi Mosque. Therefore, you can take a tourist tour in this area, and then come to spend an enjoyable time in the park, eat food or… A drink in the middle of picturesque nature.
3- Although the garden has no relation to Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, as it is not part of its garden, it is characterized by the fragrant history and spirituality of the place, and it was given this name because of its presence in this great archaeological, touristic and historical area.
4 – Inside the park there are two archaeological gates from those eight gates built by Saladin Al-Ayyubi in the twelfth century to protect Cairo from the eastern side, that is, approximately 800 years ago. They are Bab Al-Barqiyah and Bab Al-Qaratin (Al-Mahrouqi). Al-Mahrouqi Gate is located in Aslam Al-Silhdar neighborhood. It has his mosque in Al-Salahdar Square, and the Fatima Al-Nabawiyya Street branches off from it, and it has the Fatima Al-Nabawiyah Mosque, daughter of Al-Hussein.
The Aga Khan Foundation restored many of these archaeological monuments, including the Dome of Tarabai al-Sharif at the entrance to the back garden, the Khair Bey Collection, the Blue Mosque, the Umm Sultan Shaaban Mosque and School, the Indian Corner, the Mardani Mosque, and the Abu Hariba Mosque (its picture is on the fifty-pound note), whose original name is Qazmaka Mosque. Al-Ishaqi.
5- The area of Al-Azhar Park is 336,000 square meters, which is equivalent to about 80 acres. It is noteworthy that the designer paid attention to the pergolas, and wooden benches were spread throughout the park, especially in places that attract park visitors such as the lake and green spaces. Lighting poles were also distributed, which operate at the highest level. Establishing a special garage for park patrons to serve park patrons, and security is available throughout. Internal radio headphones are distributed to broadcast whatever concerns the park visitors, or broadcast some .songs from the good old days, such as the songs of the owner of the angelic voice, Fayrouz.
6- It is also noteworthy that the designers paid attention to the water element, so a submersible garden and a lake were designed, in addition to waterfalls and fountains. The designers also paid attention to preserving the natural landscape in the design and integrating those landscapes with their design tools and choosing green spaces, and preserving the Islamic character and historical heritage in accordance with the spirit of the place. It has its own character, and the design of the garden leads the visitor to certain destinations to discover for himself important landmarks such as the Citadel of Saladin, which are clearly visible to visitors.
7- One of the most important places in the park is the Citadel Restaurant, which is in the Fatimid style, as well as the Lake Restaurant and the Ayyubid Wall, children’s playgrounds, the conference hall, the waterfalls area, the lake, and the telescope area, as well as the green spaces spread throughout the park.