Al-Azhar Mosque and its minarets. Al-Azhar Mosque (Al-Jāmiʿ al-ʾAzhar, lit. `The Resplendent Congregational Mosque`), known simply in Egypt as al-Azhar. It is an Egyptian mosque in Islamic Cairo. Al-Mu`izz li-Din Allah of the Fatimid dynasty commissioned its construction for the newly established capital city in 970. Its name is usually thought to derive from az-Zahrāʾ (meaning `the shining one`), a title given to Fatimah. It was the first mosque established in Cairo, a city that has since gained the nickname `the City of a Thousand Minarets`.
Reverse description
The upper part of the statue of Ramses II, backed by a vertical multi-coloured ornamental band and a collection of lotus flowers and the sun boat. At the bottom right corner appears a Pharaonic cartouche. On the left side of the note is a drawing taken from the façade of a Pharaonic temple.
