A young student wearing a traditional grey galabiya (جلباية) and white Azhari cap stands in front of the entrance wall of an Al-Azhar religious institute in Qena, Upper Egypt. Behind him, framed portrait photographs of senior religious scholars are mounted on the wall beneath the Arabic sign reading 'Al-Maahad' (المعهد), indicating an official Al-Azhar affiliated institution. Al-Azhar institutes across Egypt provide religious and academic education rooted in centuries of Islamic scholarship.