Fes Madrasas and Monuments: Bou Inania, Al-Attarine, Al-Quaraouiyine

If Fes is called Morocco’s spiritual and intellectual capital, it is largely thanks to its madrasas, the old colleges that housed students who came to study at Al-Quaraouiyine. Built mostly by the Marinid dynasty in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, they are true jewel boxes of craftsmanship. Here are the monuments not to miss, what to look for and how to visit them. For an overview of everything to do, see things to do in Fes.

What is a madrasa?

A madrasa is a college of religious and legal learning that mainly served as a residence for students. Around a central courtyard with its basin you find a prayer hall and, on one or two floors, the small cells where the students lived. Lessons themselves were often given in the nearby mosque. The Marinid sultans, who made Fes their capital, competed in generosity to build these colleges, both to train the kingdom’s elite and to display their prestige.

The Bou Inania Madrasa

This is the largest and most famous madrasa in Fes. Built between 1350 and 1355 by Sultan Abu Inan, it stands near Bab Bou Jeloud on Talaa Kebira. Unusually, it also served as a Friday mosque, with its own minaret visible from afar. The marble-paved courtyard is surrounded by walls decorated from top to bottom: zellige dados, stucco carved like lace, then friezes and canopies of sculpted cedar. Opposite the entrance, across the street, a curious facade with windows and brackets once housed a fourteenth-century water clock.

Non-Muslims can visit the courtyard; the prayer hall, still in use, is admired from the threshold.

The Al-Attarine Madrasa

Smaller and slightly older, completed around 1325 under Sultan Abu Said, the Al-Attarine Madrasa lies at the heart of the medina, against Al-Quaraouiyine and close to the spice souk that gave it its name. Many consider it the most refined in Fes: perfect proportions, slender marble columns, exceptionally fine zellige and carved calligraphy. From the upper floors, when they are open, you can glimpse the green-tiled roofs of Al-Quaraouiyine.

The Sahrij Madrasa

In the Andalusian quarter, the Sahrij Madrasa, built in the early fourteenth century, takes its name from the large rectangular pool that fills its courtyard. Recently restored, it sees fewer visitors than its famous sisters and offers a moment of calm in a superb setting of zellige and cedar.

The Seffarine and Cherratine madrasas

On the coppersmiths’ square, the Seffarine Madrasa, founded in the late thirteenth century, is considered the oldest in Fes; simpler in style, it still houses students. Nearby, the Cherratine Madrasa, built in the seventeenth century under the Alaouites, is larger and plainer, and interesting for seeing how these colleges evolved.

Al-Quaraouiyine, mosque and university

Founded in 859 by Fatima al-Fihri, a woman from Kairouan, Al-Quaraouiyine is regarded as one of the oldest continuously operating places of learning in the world. The mosque, enlarged over the centuries, is open to Muslims only, but its many open doors offer glimpses of the courtyard, its fountains and rows of arches. Its historic library, restored in the 2010s, holds precious manuscripts.

The shrine of Moulay Idriss II and the Andalusian Mosque

The mausoleum of Moulay Idriss II, founder of Fes, is one of the most revered places in the country; you can admire its door and the atmosphere of the surrounding lanes. Across the river, the Andalusian Mosque, founded in the ninth century, has a remarkable monumental portal. Both are open to Muslims only.

The Nejjarine caravanserai and museum

This eighteenth-century caravanserai, where merchants and pack animals once stopped, now houses the Museum of Wooden Arts and Crafts. Doors, chests, tools and cedar ceilings tell the story of a craft found everywhere in Fes. The roof terrace has a fine view, and the fountain on the square outside is one of the most photographed in the city.

Reading the decoration: zellige, stucco and cedar

In all these madrasas the decoration follows a precise order: at the bottom, zellige, a geometric mosaic of hand-cut glazed tiles; in the middle, carved stucco, with floral motifs, interlacing and calligraphic inscriptions; at the top, the sculpted cedar of friezes and canopies. The same crafts are found in medina riads; we explain them in what is a riad, and you can bring a piece home with our tips for shopping in the Fes souks.

Practical tips for visiting

• The madrasas generally open during the day, closing during prayers, especially at Friday midday. Hours sometimes change, so check locally or with your riad.
• There is a modest entrance fee; bring dirhams in cash.
• Clothing covering shoulders and knees is expected; see our Fes travel tips.
• Photos are allowed in the courtyards; be discreet around worshippers and students.
• In the morning, the low light shows off the stucco and zellige particularly well.

A half-day route through the monuments

Start at Bou Inania near Bab Bou Jeloud, walk down Talaa Kebira to Nejjarine square, continue to the Al-Attarine Madrasa and the doors of Al-Quaraouiyine, and finish at Seffarine square. It is the morning route in our plans for one day in Fes and three days in Fes. Our Fes medina guide will help you find your way, and the Fes tanneries are a few minutes from Seffarine.

The monuments from La Petite Maison

Our riad is five minutes from Rcif square, a few steps from Seffarine, Al-Quaraouiyine and the Al-Attarine Madrasa. It is itself a small tribute to these crafts: zellige relaid tile by tile, cedar ceilings, stucco and tadelakt. Read the story of the restoration, see the Fès Room and its stained glass, or write to us to book a licensed guide with your stay.