Egyptian, Rector of Al-Azhar University in Cairo.
Ahmed El-Tayyib was born in Cairo and studied Islamic theology and philosophy at Al-Azhar University. Soon after graduation he took on a professorship of theology and philosophy at Al-Azhar University. In 1991, he was appointed Dean of the School of Islamic Studies at Qina University, Egypt. From there, he moved to Aswan, Egypt, where he took on the same position at Aswan University. After one year at the International Islamic University of Islamabad, Pakistan, he returned to Egypt and became Grand Mufti of the Arab Republic of Egypt. Since 2003 he has held the position of Rector of Al-Azhar University in Cairo.
Thus, he is at the helm of the oldest university of the world, where teaching has flourished without interruption since 975 AD. The university is considered one of the most renowned Islamic educational institution and it is also among the biggest in the world.
In spite of his huge workload as Dean and Rector, Ahmed El-Tayyib has published numerous scholarly contributions, dealing with the reception of Islamic philosophy and culture in the Western world.
He is a member of the Egyptian Society of Philosophy, the Supreme Court of Islamic Affairs and Head of the Religious Committee at the Egyptian Radio and Television Union.
