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Dar al-Ilm in Cairo

دار العلم بالقاهرة

c. 1009 CE · 400 AH

Al-Hakim's early piety built Cairo's Dar al-Ilm, gathered jurists and hadith-men and raised the Jami' al-Hakimi — for three years; then he turned to killing men of learning, closed the house and barred much good 1.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era
Region
Egypt & Nile
Review
Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it

In time

100010101020 c.
The Buyid, Fatimid and Seljuk Era

Overview

Ibn al-Imad, in "Shadharat al-Dhahab", says that al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah turned to devotion and religion around 400 AH, and ordered the founding of the House of Knowledge (Dar al-Ilm) in Egypt. 1

What the source reports

  • He brought jurists and traditionists into the house, built up the Hakimi mosque in Cairo, and prayers for him became frequent. 1
  • Things stayed that way for three years. 1
  • Then he began to kill people of learning, closed the house, and prevented many good works. 1

Dating

The date of the event is 400 AH as in the source, and the Gregorian year (around 1009 CE) is derived by conversion. No second source is given for the date here, so it needs an additional source.

Connections

Explore the connections

Had participant
al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah Mansur ibn al-Aziz

People and things also explored

The Dar al-Hikma of Cairo· The Revolt of Abu Rakwa al-Umawi against al-Hakim· The khutba for al-Hakim, ruler of Egypt, in Mecca and Medina· Qarwash al-Uqayli's khutba for al-Hakim at Mosul and Kufa· The Unleashing of Egypt's Slaves in al-Fustat, 411· The Death of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah and His Sister's Concealment, 411· Al-Hakim Destroys the Church of the Resurrection and Egypt's Churches· The opening of Ja'far al-Sadiq's house in Medina and the removal of its relics to Egypt

Sources

  1. Shadharat al-Dhahab — Ibn al-Imad al-Hanbali , p. 165-166
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Dar al-Ilm in Cairo”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/dar-al-ilm-cairo-400/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.

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The Dar al-Hikma of Cairo

The Dar al-Hikma of Cairo was opened by the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah in 395 AH. Books were brought to it from the palace libraries, and jurists, readers, astrologers, physicians and grammarians sat in it. It was tied to the Dar al-Ilm; the vizier al-Afdal closed it, and it was reopened at another site in 517 AH under al-Amir. It was among the Fatimid centres of wisdom through which the Ismaili mission spread its teachings among its followers.