Mosque & madrasa · Ben Youssef

Ben Youssef Madrasa

Must-see

The most beautiful building in Marrakech: a 16th-century Koranic school around a marble courtyard.

Opening hours: 9:00–19:00
Ticket: 50 MAD (≈ €5)
Time needed: 45 min
Best time: Early morning
Jemaa el-Fna: 10 min on foot

Why go

Founded in the 14th century and rebuilt by the Saadians, the madrasa housed up to 900 students in small cells around its courtyard until 1960. The courtyard is the masterpiece: a long pool, carved stucco, cedar lintels and zellige from floor to eye level.

Upstairs, the students’ rooms look onto small light wells and give a sense of the life inside. Restored in 2022, it is one of the few religious buildings in the city open to all.

Tips

Be there at 9am for the courtyard without crowds.
Tickets on site only, in cash.
The Marrakech Museum and the Almoravid Koubba are next door.
Photo tip: From the far end of the pool, centred on the prayer-hall arch, before the first groups at 9.30.