The names of some of its colleges, Jesus, Christ’s, Trinity, Magdalene, St John’s, are straight out of the Bible.
And a succession of princes, earls, dukes, and lords have assumed the largely ceremonial position of Chancellor down the ages.
But on Sunday night, after the votes are counted, the institution may have a Muslim community leader at its helm for the first time.
Abdul Arain hatched a plan to turn 802 years of convention on its head after supermarket giant Sainsbury’s announced plans to open a store near his shop in Mill Road.
And to add insult to injury, the university’s nominations board selected Lord Sainsbury, the Labour peer, former minister, and wealthy former chairman of the supermarket chain, as its official candidate.
The owner of Al-Amin grocery store – which means ‘just or fair one’ and was the nickname given to Mr Arain by his father – says his faith and candidature is simply a reflection of a diverse community.
He said: “I think it will be good for Cambridge and the varied and diverse community it has.
“What I’d say is that I believe in God and share the values of the Christian and Jewish faiths, which come from the same roots as the Muslim faith. We pray to the same God.
“I will not have any problem attending any Christian ceremonies or going to church if that is what the duties will involve.
“The Muslim community in Cambridge have been very supportive and encouraging.”
The 46-year-old, who attends the mosque in Mawson Road as well as others in the city, says he is running in the election to save independent shops from big supermarkets and to prevent Cambridge from becoming a ‘clone town’.
But he is up against some strong candidates, with the actor Brian Blessed and Michael Mansfield QC, a barrister and darling of the left, making up the field.
Speaking just before his speech last night at the Cambridge Union, ahead of Lord Sainsbury’s campaign talk to the debating society last night, Mr Arain said: “The campaign is going well and we are trying to get as many people as possible to support what we stand for.
“It is a big occasion and I will be addressing a large contingent of people who are members of the senate and eligible to vote.
“I am looking forward to it and to put forward my arguments. We are confident that we will get strong backing from many people.”
After the talk last night, he was due to rush off for a meeting with the Mill Road Society.
Mr Arain is a well-known champion of the community and a campaigner for the environment.
He first arrived in Cambridge from Kenya, aged 16, and later gave up a career in senior management, auditing for a multi-national company, when he resigned on “ethical grounds” and opened a shop.
In 2004, he launched a series of initiatives to reduce the amount of plastic bags and introduced the Al-Amin cloth bag, giving away the first 2,500 free.
The family man also saved Mill Road Post Office from closure in 2005 after offering it a home in the store.
And while Mr Blessed plans to be in the Anchor pub during part of the ballot, the father-of-two said: “I think I’ll probably be in the comfort of my own home with my family.”