Al-Azhar University – Gaza

For the university of the same name in Egypt, see Al Azhar University.

Al Azhar University – Gaza

Type	Public
Established	1991[1]
President	Omar K. A. Melad[2]
Academic staff	290[3]
Undergraduates	about 16,000[1]
Postgraduates	about 700[4]
Location	Gaza , Palestine
Affiliations	UNIMED
Website	www.alazhar.edu.ps/eng/index.asp

Al-Azhar University – Gaza (Arabic: جامعة الأزهر بغزة), often abbreviated AUG, is a Palestinian, public, non-profit, and independent higher education institution. During the first intifada, Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat issued a decree in September 1991 to establish a Palestinian national university. AUG opened on 18 October 1991 in a two-story building with 725 students enrolled in two faculties; the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Sharia and Law (now the Faculty of Law).^[5]

In November 2023, the university's facilities were destroyed by Israeli airstrikes during Israel's bombing of the Gaza Strip.^[6] The IDF performed additional demolition in December, after discovering tunnels under the university and weapons being stored at the university.^[7]

History

Faculty of Arts – Al Azhar university

AUG opened its doors in 1991 with only two faculties: the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Sharia and Law (now the Faculty of Law). In 1992, four faculties: the Faculty of Pharmacy, the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, the Faculty of Science, and the Faculty of Arts & Human Sciences were established, followed by the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences.

The Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences was established at another stage of AUG development in 1997 to fulfill the medical needs of the Palestinian community. In 1999, the Faculty of Medicine, a branch of the Palestinian Faculty of Medicine in Al-Quds University-Abu Dis, was opened as the first medical faculty in the Gaza Strip.

The Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology was launched in 2001 to keep abreast of new knowledge and technology. In 2007, the Faculty of Dentistry was opened to improve the oral health care of the Palestinian community. The Faculty of Sharia was reopened as a distinct faculty in 2009.

In 2015, King Hassan II for Environmental Sciences and Agriculture Building was inaugurated on the new campus in the Al-Mughraqa area. The construction of this building was funded by King Mohammed VI of Morocco. Two buildings, the auditorium and the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences were funded by the Saudi Fund for Development and will be annexed to the new campus in Al-Mughraqa.^[5]

Faculties

• Faculty of Agriculture and Environment
• Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences
• Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences
• Faculty of Dentistry
• Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences
• Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Pharmacy
• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Sharia

Notable alumni

• Hiba Abu Nada (1991–2023), Palestinian poet, novelist, and nutritionist, killed by IDF airstrike.^[8]
• Sha'ban al-Dalou (2004/2005–2024), Palestinian software engineer student, killed by IDF airstrike in the Al-Aqsa Hospital massacre.
• Motaz Azaiza (b. 1999), Palestinian photojournalist.
• Medo Halimy (2004/2005–2024), Palestinian social media personality and vlogger, political science and economics student, killed by IDF airstrike on Khan Yunis refugee camp.^[9]

See also

• List of Islamic educational institutions
• List of Palestinian universities
• Education in the Palestinian territories
• Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education
• List of universities and colleges in the State of Palestine
• Attacks on schools during the Israeli invasion of Gaza

References

1. "Welcome To AUG". Al-Azhar University Gaza. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
2. "President's Greetings". Al-Azhar University Gaza. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
3. "Academic Staff". AL-Azhar University, Gaza. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
4. "Welcome To Postgraduate Studies". Al-Azhar University Gaza. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
5. "AUG History". Al-Azhar University Gaza. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
6. "Israeli air strikes target Gaza's Al-Azhar University" (video). Middle-East Monitor. 6 November 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
7. "IDF destroys Hamas-linked facilities at Gaza's Al-Azhar University". i24 News. 8 December 2023.
8. "حوار صحفي مع الأديبة هبة أبو ندى". Women for Palestine (in Arabic). 12 March 2017. Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
9. Hassan, Yasmine (29 August 2024). "TikToker who documented life in Gaza killed by shrapnel from airstrike in Khan Younis". CBC. Retrieved 31 August 2024.

Bibliography

• Bowen, Donna Lee, and Early, Evelyn A. (2002). Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle East: Second Edition. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-21490-4

External links

• University homepage (in English)

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