Fez, Morocco
Cultural heritage site in Fez, Morocco
The Bou Inania Madrasa, on the Tala'a Kebira near Bab Boujloud, was founded by the Marinid sultan Abu Inan Faris between 1350 and 1355. It is the only madrasa in Morocco that also served as a congregational mosque for Friday prayers, which is why it has a fine minaret, rare for a madrasa. Historians see it as a high point of Marinid architecture, and it is part of the Medina of Fez World Heritage Site, listed in 1981. You step into a long marble courtyard surrounded by galleries with student rooms on the floor above, flanked by two classrooms and closed by the wide prayer hall, separated from the court by a small water channel. Decoration covers everything: carved stucco, zellij and carved cedar with calligraphy and geometric patterns of rare quality. Across the street are the ablutions house and the Dar al-Magana, whose façade carries a famous water clock with brass bowls and wooden windows; how it worked has never been fully worked out.
The prayer hall is still used: visitors see the courtyard and galleries, dress modestly and keep quiet, and it closes to visitors at prayer times and on Friday midday. Allow thirty minutes to an hour, ideally in the morning before the crowds. Look up at the water clock across the street as you leave.
Hours and prices change — check before you go. Source: en.wikipedia.org
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MosqueFez, Morocco
