Egypt's holiest institution vs. the British Empire — who really holds the power?
The film deals, in a historical context, with the stories of a number of Al-Azhar sheikhs who held its pulpit, what Al-Azhar was exposed to during the British occupation period, and how it confronted the attempt to control its sovereign decisions.
Production
Painstaking recreation of 1910s-40s Al-Azhar corridors and robes.
Acting
Ahmed Hatem's measured fury behind scholarly composure.
Director
Ahmed Abdel Aal
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Al-Azhar remains one of the oldest universities in continuous operation, founded 970 CE — the film's 20th-century crisis echoes in modern debates about religious institutions and state control across the Middle East.
Director Ahmed Abdel Aal spent three years negotiating access to Al-Azhar's archives; several scenes use actual 1920s administrative documents as props.
EG
