 Al @-@ Azhar Mosque ( Arabic : الجامع الأزهر al @-@ Gām3` al @-@ Azhar , " mosque of the most resplendent " ) is a mosque in Islamic Cairo in Egypt . Al @-@ Mu 'izz li @-@ Din Allah of the Fatimid Caliphate commissioned its construction for the newly established capital city in 970 . Its name is usually thought to allude to the Islamic prophet Muhammad 's daughter Fatimah , a revered figure in Islam who was given the title az @-@ Zahrā ′ ( " the shining or resplendent one " ) . It was the first mosque established in Cairo , a city that has since gained the nickname " the City of a Thousand Minarets . " 
