Al-Azhar University’s administration decided Wednesday to indefinitely delay the opening of its dormitories, as last year the university saw some of its worst incidents of violence since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi, sources told Al-Ahram’s Arabic news website.

The university's council took the decision due to the wide-scale damage to the buildings and the dormitories of Al-Azhar University in different branches in several cities.

Another informed source in the council told Al-Ahram that students will be allowed in when the fixing and the restoration of the damaged buildings is complete. The restorations will cost LE18,000.

The 2013-2014 academic year in Egypt was tumultuous, with students supporting ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi holding near-daily protests to demand his reinstatement and denounce the detention of their fellow students.

The demonstrations often descended into clashes with security forces or opposing students. The campuses and dormitories of Al-Azhar University in different Egyptian cities saw some of the worst violence, with several students being killed. University buildings were also destroyed or set on fire during the clashes.

Head of Al-Azhar University, Ibrahim El-Hodhod said they have already started the restoration processes and that a date for admitting students will be announced when the processes is complete.

The Higher Education Minister Sayed Abdel-Khalek had delayed the new academic semester at universities two weeks, saying the university dormitories are not ready to receive the students.

The semester was due to start on 27 September but will instead start on 11 October.