Al-Azhar Park
| Al-Azhar Park | |
|---|---|
| Aerial view of Al-Azhar Park. | |
| Motto | Paradise within the heart of Medieval Cairo | 
| Location | Medieval Cairo, Egypt | 
| Coordinates | 30°02′26″N 31°15′53″E / 30.040523°N 31.264631°E | 
| Area | 30 hectares | 
| Created | May 2005 | 
Al-Azhar Park (Arabic: حديقة الأزهر) is a public park located in qism al-Darb al-Ahmar, in Historic Cairo, Egypt.
Among several honors, this park is listed as one of the world's sixty great public spaces by the Project for Public Spaces. The park was created by the Historic Cities Support Programme of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, an entity of the Aga Khan Development Network. The park was developed at a cost in excess of USD $30 million, its funding a grant to Cairo from Aga Khan IV, a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad through his daughter, Fatima, and cousin/son-in-law, Ali. He is therefore a descendant of the early Fatimid Caliphs of Cairo.
The park project, an urbanism initiative, included:
- the development of the park
- archeology involving a 12th-century Ayyubid wall
- historic building rehabilitation (the 14th Century Umm Sultan Shaban Mosque, the 13th century Khayrbek complex, and the Darb Shoughlan School)
- several quality of life improvement initiatives requiring skills training, area rehabilitation, microfinance, and support in the areas of health and education, among others.