A classroom full of young male Al-Azhar students wearing blue uniforms and traditional red tarboush (Tarbouche) hats with white trim sit at wooden desks facing a teacher writing on a blackboard in Qena, Upper Egypt. Al-Azhar schools are part of Egypt's centuries-old religious education system, combining Islamic studies with general curriculum subjects. The scene reflects the enduring educational tradition of Al-Azhar, one of the oldest and most prestigious Islamic institutions in the world, founded in Cairo in 970 AD.