The Ben Youssef Madrasa - Marrakech

 The Ben Youssef Madrasa is an Islamic madrasa (college) in Marrakesh, Morocco

Functioning today as a historical site, the Ben Youssef Madrasa was the largest Islamic college in the Maghreb at its height.

The madrasa is named after the adjacent Ben Youssef Mosque built by the Almoravid Sultan Ali ibn Yusuf in the early 12th century.

The madrasa building which stands today was commissioned by the Sa'di sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib in the 16th century, following a style established during the earlier Marinid period.

The medersa was for four centuries a home for students in various sciences, including theology. It had 132 rooms intended for students not originally from Marrakech.

Its proportions and rich decoration make it a particularly harmonious monument.

Pictures :

- Carved stucco and wood decoration of the courtyard, with a variety of motifs including arabesques, calligraphy, pine cones, and darj w ktaf -

 - View of the main courtyard and its central water basin -

- Detail of the bronze plating on the doors of the madrasa's entrance -

- Street entrance of the madrasa today -

- Example of carved cedar wood ceiling with geometric star patterns (over the madrasa's vestibule) -

- Arabesque and pine cone motifs along with Kufic inscriptions around the mihrab -

- One of the Saadian-era carved marble panels at the entrance to the prayer hall -

- Coranic School The Ben Youssef Madrasa - Marrakech -

- The muqarnas dome inside the mihrab; the sides are also covered in carved stucco with arabesque and pine cone motifs -

- The muqarnas cupola in front of the madrasa's street entrance -

- Zellij mosaic tilework in the madrasa -

- Entrance corridor of the madrasa -

- One of the niches on the walls of the courtyard with stucco carved into muqarnas -

- Entrance to the central courtyard adorned with cedar wood screen (mashrabiya) and carved stucco around the archway -

- A simple student's room in the Ben Youssef Madrasa -

- One of the galleries along the side of the courtyard; the upper floor windows belong to the dormitory rooms -

- One of the small courtyards serving the student dormitories -

- Mihrab of the prayer hall with carved stucco decoration, including darj wa ktaf motifs and an Arabic inscription in kufic script -