Moslem Students In Cairo

Moslem Students In Cairo

In Cairo at the ancient academy of El Azhar 1,500 students are taught the doctrines of the Koran, the Moslem Bible. The students sit cross-legged in groups of from four to eight, with a Ulama, or teacher, in their midst. Exercise books are seldom employed, but occasionally a student makes a note with a reed on a slate, which is held in the left hand. The necessary outfit consists only of a rug, a copy of the Koran, and a low stand. Each pupil learns his lesson aloud, and the air is full of the most distracting noises, that may be heard at a great distance. The Koran alone is taught in these schools, the pupils being quite ignorant of mathematics, history or the sciences.