Aligarh Muslim University

Aligarh Muslim University is one of the oldest and most significant universities in South Asia, and its campus is the main reason a traveller would come to Aligarh. Founded in 1875 and granted university status in 1920, it now enrolls over 30,000 students across faculties of science, law, medicine, theology, arts and engineering.

The campus architecture is the immediate draw: red sandstone buildings in the Indo-Saracenic style blend Victorian Gothic with Mughal arches and decorative tile work. The Jama Masjid at the campus centre is an impressive mosque modelled loosely on the Jama Masjid in Delhi. Sir Syed Hall and the old Kennedy Hall are the most photographed buildings. The Maulana Azad Library, opened in 1960, is one of the largest university libraries in Asia. Visitors are welcome to walk the grounds and the main roads through campus; entering individual buildings typically requires prior permission.

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A story
AMU was founded by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in 1875 as the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, with the explicit goal of bringing Western-style scientific education to Indian Muslims while preserving Islamic traditions. Sir Syed's argument — that Muslims needed to engage with modern education to participate in India's future — was controversial in his time. His experiment worked: the university became one of the most important in South Asia, producing prime ministers, scholars, lawyers and scientists across the subcontinent.