Ben Youssef Madrasa - Marrakech

The Ben Youssef Madrasa in Marrakech, Morocco was founded in the 14th century by Abu al-Hassan, a Marinid sultan, and was allied to the Ben Youssef Mosque right next door. It was named after Ali ibn Yusuf, an Almoravid sultan who reigned from 1106-1142, who expanded Marrakech and its influence and built the original mosque that goes by the same name. The madrasa was re-built about 1563-1564 by Abdallah al-Ghalib, a Saadian Sultan. It has 130 student dormitory cells clustered around a courtyard. It was the largest madrasa in Morocco and one of the largest in North Africa, housing as many as 900 students. It was closed in 1960, then reopened to the public in 1982 as a historical site, the reason we were able to go in.

An intricately carved ceiling.

Part of the inner courtyard.

I believe this is the mihrab.

It has mashrabiyya (wooden-lattice screen) balconies, five color zellij (mosaic) walls, stucco archways and cedar windows with carved vines. The central pool in the courtyard was for ablutions. The most common Arabic inscription in the stucco and zellij tile is "In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful," the first line of the Koran. The student dormitories are on the second floor, some with windows onto the courtyard, and arranged around smaller inner courtyards, rimmed with wood railings. 

Part of the courtyard and the central pool.

The pool for ablution.

Beautiful light reflecting colors from one of the upstairs dormitory windows. 

An entry door into one of the dormitories with a window out on to the courtyard.

An inner courtyard with dormitories clustered around it.

This madrasa had less zelljic tile and more incredibly carved wood, like this above. 

I love this scalloped plaster work. 

Gorgeous hallway around the courtyard.

Madrasa:

A madrasa is a religious school for the study of Islam. A regular curriculum would include courses in Arabic, Koranic interpretation (tafsir), Islamic law (shariah), the recorded sayings and deeds of Muhammad (hadiths), logic (mantiq) and Muslim history. Other courses might include teaching memorization of the Koran (hifz), courses leading the student to be a scholar in the community (alim) and courses in Arabic literature, English and other languages, science and world history.

To become an alim (scholar) requires about 12 years of study and students often go on to become imams, worship leaders for Sunni Muslims. People of all ages attend, even children. Women can attend, but study apart from the men.

Ben Youssef Mosque:

Ben Youssef (French spelling) Mosque, also known as Ibn Yusuf (English spelling) Mosque, is just west of the madrasa of the same name. Between about 1121 and 1132 a mosque named Masjid al-Siqaya (mosque of the fountain) was built by the Almoravid ruler Ali ibn Yusuf. In 1147 the Almohads defeated the Almoravids and captured Marrakech. The Almohad caliph Abd al-Mu'min decided the mosque was not oriented correctly to Mecca, it was off by 6 degrees, and he had it demolished. He then built a new mosque on top of it and tried calling it something else, but common usage continued to be Ali ibn Yusuf's mosque and the name stuck. Around 1563 the Saadian sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib had the mosque refurbished and the same time he had the madrasa refurbished. Then in the early 19th century, the mosque was almost completely rebuilt again by the Alaouite sultan Suleiman.

Right across from the entrance to the madrasa is this entrance to the mosque.

The mosque is quite large.

The minaret of the mosque.

Apparently the library of the mosque.

Mausoleum of Moulay Idriss II - Fez, Morocco

Idris II was the son of Idris, founder of the Idrisid dynasty in Morocco and the man that brought Islam to Morocco. I previously did a post on the Mausoleum of Idris in Moulay Idriss. Idriss II was born in Walila, previously known as Volubilis, in 791, two months after the death of his father. His mother, Kenza, a daughter of the chief of a Berber tribe, raised him among the Berbers. Idris II was brilliant. He could read by age four, write by age five, and had memorized the Koran by age eight. Rashid, a servant of his father, was regent on behalf of Idris II until 805 or 807 (I see conflicting dates), when Idris II was old enough to rule. Idris II re-founded the city of Fez on the left bank of the Fez River, 20 years after his father founded Fez on the right bank of the Fez River. Idris II continued the work begun by his father, unifying Morocco under Islam. Idris II died in 828, in Volubilis (where he was born), by that time the father of 12 sons.  

The Mausoleum of Moulay Idriss II is now the heart of Fez and the second most sacred spot in Morocco. It is built on the site of a mosque and surrounded by a shrine. 

The minaret of the mosque associated with the tomb is in the background. The tanneries are in the foreground. 

Here is the minaret from where we ate lunch at La Madena. 

The minaret from another angle, taken from the top of a carpet shop.

Finally, this photo captures the entire mosque and shrine, photographed from the Berber walls outside the madena.

One source says it was originally built in the 9th century, but I believe that may relate to the building of the mosque on that spot. One source says an uncorrupted body was found on this spot in 1308 and people believed it to be Moulay Idriss II. The Mausoleum was built at that time for the body and then was almost completely replaced between 1717 and 1824 by Moulay Ismail. Another source says that the grave and shrine of Idris II was rediscovered in 1437. 

We came across multiple openings to the mosque and tomb, usually crowded with tourists. 

Beautiful carpets, doors, decorated walls and ceilings are inside.

Amazingly beautiful varied decorations.

Some of the painted scalloped edges near the ceiling.

A ceiling.

An inscription above one of the outer doors.

I'm assuming this is an informative sign - right next to an entrance - in Arabic.

Beautiful decorative work on the outside of the mosque and shrine. 

A view from a different entrance. Note the fountain in the courtyard.

A tiled inside wall.

The top of an inner doorway.

More beautiful decoration high on a wall near the ceiling.

A different entrance.

A better view of the courtyard.

The fountain in the center of the courtyard.

A different entrance - this one closed.

Decoration on the outside wall.

Decoration on the outside wall.

Another entrance, one of the more beautiful ones.

Decoration near the entrance.

A ceiling in an alley outside the mosque.

An example of the narrow passageways that surround the mosque. 

Like the Mausoleum of Moulay Idriss in Moulay Idriss, which houses his father's tomb, this is only open to Muslims. However, unlike the Moulay Idriss tomb, it is possible to get right up next to the multiple entrances and look in. There are wooden barriers around the "holy district" in Fez that were originally used to keep Christians, Jews and donkeys out. Today these barriers are an indication to non-Muslims that the area is out of bounds to them. 

An example of a wooden barrier, requiring those who go in to stoop. 

A close-up of the beautiful wood on the barrier.

A peak inside the door reveals an ablution area where those going into the mosque cleanse themselves. 

The ceiling above that same area.

Photo of the tomb of Moulay Idriss II from here. 

The last entrance we saw into the mosque. Note the wooden barrier we had to stoop under. Judy is with our guide, Hassan. Hassan encouraged us to look in the doors and take pictures.  

From the outside of the wooden barrier, looking up, we could see the mosque minaret. Unlike minarets we've seen in other countries, Morocco mosques only have one and they are squared. 

From inside the barrier, looking into the mosque entrance.

Looking up at the beautiful bluish arch over the entrance.

Decoration around the entrance.

Tile near the entrance.

Finally, inlaid wood decoration near the entrance.