Ben Youssef Madrasa photos: courtyard, mihrab and student rooms

Every photo on this page was taken by Racho, who runs this guide, during a visit to the Ben Youssef Madrasa in Marrakech. No stock images, no AI. Tap a photo to see it larger.

01

The entrance

3 photos

Blue sign reading Medersa Ben Youssef in Arabic and Latin letters above a small carved window on a terracotta wall — The Medersa Ben Youssef sign on Rue Assouel The sign outside the Ben Youssef Madrasa in Marrakech, with an arrow to the entrance. You know you have found it: tickets are sold just inside.

A terracotta arch with a carved wooden ceiling and the madrasa sign in the entrance passage — The terracotta entrance arch The passage into the Ben Youssef Madrasa: warm terracotta walls and a carved cedar ceiling before the bright courtyard.

A metal lantern hanging under a carved ceiling above a plaque reading Medersa Ben Youssef — A lantern over the madrasa sign Inside the entrance of the Medersa Ben Youssef, a hanging lantern and a carved stucco ceiling greet visitors.

02

The courtyard and its pool

9 photos

Wide view of the marble courtyard with its rectangular pool, carved galleries and visitors — The courtyard of the Ben Youssef Madrasa The main courtyard of the Ben Youssef Madrasa in Marrakech, 21.90 × 16.50 m, paved in white marble around a long pool. Completed in 1564–1565 under the Saadian sultan Abdallah al-Ghalib.

The long pool leading the eye to the carved facade and doorway of the prayer hall — The pool and the prayer hall facade The classic symmetrical view of the Medersa Ben Youssef: the pool points straight at the prayer hall, framed by zellij, stucco and cedar.

The green-tiled pool of the courtyard reflecting the carved walls, with visitors along the galleries — The courtyard pool, close up The pool of the Ben Youssef Madrasa, about 3 × 7 m, once filled with rainwater from the roofs. Come at 9:00 for a still surface and a perfect reflection.

The side galleries of the courtyard with white columns, carved stucco and cedar eaves under green tiles — Galleries and cedar eaves The east and west porticos of the Ben Youssef Madrasa courtyard, with carved cedar eaves and green-tiled roofs above the stucco.

A courtyard facade covered in carved stucco below a band of dark cedar and a pink upper wall — A carved courtyard facade Every surface of the Medersa Ben Youssef courtyard is decorated: geometric and floral stucco, carved cedar and Arabic inscriptions.

A corner of the courtyard seen from below, carved stucco walls rising to a blue sky — Looking up from a courtyard corner Stand in a corner of the Ben Youssef Madrasa courtyard and look up: the carving continues all the way to the roofline.

A deeply carved stucco arch framing the upper courtyard walls and a slice of blue sky — The courtyard through a carved arch One of the great stucco arches of the Medersa Ben Youssef, carved in the Saadian era, framing the courtyard.

A pillar clad in zellij tiles under a carved arch in the courtyard gallery — A zellij pillar in the gallery The galleries of the Ben Youssef Madrasa: zellij-clad pillars below, carved stucco and cedar above.

The bright courtyard seen through a dark, scalloped window opening — The courtyard through a carved window One of the best photo spots in the Medersa Ben Youssef: a window that frames the courtyard like a picture.

03

The prayer hall, mihrab and basin

5 photos

The carved stucco mihrab niche under a brass chandelier and a cedar ceiling — The mihrab of the prayer hall The five-sided mihrab of the Ben Youssef Madrasa, framed by marble columns and the richest stucco in the building.

A large brass chandelier hanging in front of the carved mihrab wall — The prayer hall chandelier The prayer hall of the Medersa Ben Youssef measures 16.40 × 8.17 m and is divided into three naves.

Walls entirely covered in carved stucco under a dark cedar ceiling, with a chandelier — Stucco walls of the prayer hall Inside the prayer hall of the Ben Youssef Madrasa, carved plaster covers the walls from floor to ceiling.

A carved marble basin on a low platform in front of a stucco niche — The Andalusian marble basin The oldest object in the Medersa Ben Youssef: a marble basin carved near Córdoba between 1002 and 1007, decorated with birds and fish.

The marble basin on display in the prayer hall, with carved arches behind — The basin in the prayer hall The Andalusian basin now stands in the prayer hall of the Ben Youssef Madrasa. Look for the Kufic inscription around its rim.

04

The student rooms

4 photos

Looking down into a small courtyard with carved wooden balconies on every side — A student courtyard from above The Medersa Ben Youssef has 134 student rooms around 13 small courtyards like this one: 54 on the ground floor and 80 upstairs.

White walls, wooden balustrades and small doorways around an inner courtyard of the student quarters — The student quarters Where students of the Ben Youssef Madrasa lived for four centuries, studying religious sciences, philosophy, medicine and mathematics.

Looking up at carved cedar balconies framing a square of sky — Wooden balconies around a light well The small courtyards of the Medersa Ben Youssef bring light to the student rooms through carved cedar balconies.

A carved wooden balustrade between white columns, with a doorway to a student room behind — An upper-floor balustrade Most visitors miss the upper floor of the Ben Youssef Madrasa. Take the stairs from the entrance vestibule to find it.

05

Zellij, stucco and carved cedar

7 photos

A wooden door with carved geometric panels, framed by zellij and stucco — A carved cedar door Cedar wood from the Atlas was carved into doors, ceilings and lintels across the Medersa Ben Youssef.

An arched wooden door set into walls of colourful star-pattern tiles and carved stucco — A door in a wall of zellij The ground-floor doors of the Ben Youssef Madrasa sit in panels of zellij, the cut-tile mosaic typical of Morocco.

A tall wooden door under a carved stucco arch with muqarnas, above zellij tiles — An arched door under carved stucco Muqarnas, the honeycomb carving above this door, is one of the signatures of Moroccan architecture at the Medersa Ben Youssef.

Star-pattern zellij in blue, green, yellow and black below a carved band of Arabic calligraphy — Zellij under a calligraphy band The zellij at the Medersa Ben Youssef is 3 cm thick, double the usual thickness, according to the official site.

Close-up of interlaced zellij stars below carved stucco — Geometric zellij stars Each star in the Medersa Ben Youssef zellij is assembled from small hand-cut glazed tiles.

A frieze of carved Arabic letters above a row of blue and white tiles — A carved calligraphy frieze Much of the calligraphy at the Ben Youssef Madrasa is Quranic verse, carved into the stucco bands around the walls.

A round medallion of Arabic calligraphy in the middle of carved floral stucco — A stucco medallion Carved plaster (stucco, or gebs) at the Medersa Ben Youssef mixes arabesques, geometry and calligraphy.

06

Around the madrasa

2 photos

The tall stone minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque against a blue sky with clouds — The Koutoubia minaret The Koutoubia, near Jemaa el-Fna, is the landmark where many Ben Youssef Madrasa tours begin.

Coloured mosaic-glass lamps glowing in a souk stall — Lamps in the souks On the 15–20 minute walk from Jemaa el-Fna to the Ben Youssef Madrasa, the route runs through the lamp and craft souks.

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Using these photos

All photos © Racho / Ben Youssef Madrasa Tickets. You may not reuse them without permission. To ask, write to us through the contact page.