The Ben Youssef Madrasa, north of the souks in the medina, is the former Quranic school of Marrakech: students lived around a marble courtyard lined with zellige, carved stucco and cedar wood. The present building was erected in 1564-1565 by the Saadian sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib, on the site of a 14th-century Marinid madrasa. Closed for a restoration launched after the royal visit of 9 January 2017, it reopened to the public in April 2022. It is open every day from 9am to 7pm; admission costs 50 MAD and is paid on site.
Highlights
The courtyard and its pool
The marble-paved central courtyard surrounds a long, shallow pool that reflects the façades. The walls layer a zellige dado, broad panels of chiselled stucco and a carved cedar cornice; at the far end, a large arch opens onto the prayer hall.
The Andalusi basin
The prayer hall displays a marble basin carved in al-Andalus between 1002 and 1007 for Abd al-Malik, son of the vizier al-Mansur. A Kufic inscription names its patron; its faces bear plant scrolls and, at one end, eagles and quadrupeds, a rare example of figurative decoration from the time of the Caliphate of Cordoba.
The upper floor and the students' rooms
Two staircases lead upstairs, where capitals and carved cedar beams frame the galleries and corridors serve more than 130 rooms grouped around small inner courtyards. Very plain, without decoration, they could house up to 800 students and show the contrast with the splendour of the courtyard.
The prayer hall and its mihrab
The prayer hall, at the far end of the courtyard, is divided into three spaces by rows of marble columns. Its mihrab, the niche indicating the direction of Mecca, bears the richest stucco decoration in the madrasa.
Infos pratiques
Tips
Admission costs 50 MAD, 10 MAD for children under 12 and 30 MAD per person for groups of more than 20 (prices checked in October 2026). As the online ticket office is under maintenance, tickets are bought on site; an audio guide is available. In the nearby lanes, ignore people who claim the madrasa is closed or offer to take you there: it is often a pretext to lead you to a shop or the tanneries.
How to get there
Rue Assouel, place Ben Youssef, Marrakech medina. From Jemaa el-Fna square, allow about 15 minutes on foot heading north through the souks. Taxis do not drive through the souks: get dropped as close as possible and finish on foot. The Maison de la Photographie and the Marrakech Museum are a few minutes' walk away.
Opening hours
Nearby
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