Ben Youssef Madrasa

Medersa Ben Youssef is one of Marrakech’s most beautiful monuments. Its interior is particularly impressive, so if you don’t mind paying a few euros, I strongly advise you to visit it, especially as it is the largest medersa in Morocco.

Now, what is a medersa? These structures, which can be found just about everywhere in the Maghreb, are Koranic schools designed to teach theology and Sunni doctrines to children and students.

The one in front of you is affiliated to the Ben Youssef mosque, which is located beside it. It was completed in 1565 and commissioned by Sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib to house and educate students from all over the world. Built in the Arab-Andalusian style, the building has 130 rooms decorated with beautiful mosaics, sculpted beams and walls adorned with splendid floral motifs.

It used to house over 900 students, many of whom went on to become imams, learning to read, write and practise Islam.